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DIARY  AND  LETTERS  OF  MADAME  D'ARBLAY 

(1778-1840) 

As  edited  by  her  niece  Charlotte  Barrett.  New  Edition, 
with  Preface  and  Notes  by  Austin  Dobson.  With  Photo- 
gravure Portraits  and  other  Illustrations.  Six  vols.  8vo. 
los.  6d.  net  each. 

EVELINA 

By  Fanny  Burney.  \Yith  Illustrations  by  Hugh  Thomson 
and  an  Introduction  by  Austin  Dobson.  Crown  8vo. 
Gilt  edges.  6s.  Also  with  uncut  edges,  paper  label,  6s. 
( Cranford  Series. ) 

By  AUSTIN   DOBSON 

LIFE  OF  FANNY  BURNEY.     Crown  8vo.     2s.  net. 
LIFE  OF  RICHARDSON.     Crown  8vo.     2s.  net. 
LIFE  OF  FIELDING.     Crown  8vo.     Library  Edition.     2s.  net. 
Popular  Edition,  is.  6d.  ;  Sewed,  is. 

MACMILLAN  and  CO.,  Ltd..  LONDON. 


THE    DIARY 


JOHN     EVELYN 

(1620   TO    1646) 


/o/l/l      CKi-/(//I 


THE    DIARY 


OF 


JOHN    EVELYN 


WITH  AN  INTRODUCTION  AND  NOTES 

BY 

AUSTIN    DOBSON 

HON.  LL.D.  EDIN. 


IN  THREE  VOLUMES 
VOL.  I 


?LDntian 
MACMILLAN   AND   CO.,  Limited 

NEW   YORK  :    THE    MACMILLAN   COMPANY 
1906 

All  rights  reser'ved 


TO 


GEORGE    SAINTSBURY 


PREFACE 

The  record  known  as  Evelyn's  Diary  was  first 
printed  in  1818  by  Colburn  as  part  of  two  quarto 
volumes  with  the  following  title,  Memoii^s,  illustra- 
tive of  the  Life  and  Wiitings  of  John  Evelyn,  Esq,, 
F.R.S.,  Author  of  the  "  Sylva,''  etc.  etc.  Comprising 
his  Diary,  from  the  Year  1641  to  1705-6,  and  a 
Selection  of  his  familiar  Letters,  To  which  is  added 
the  private  Correspondence  between  King  Charles  L 
and  his  Secretary  of  State,  Sir  Edward  Nicholas, 
€tc.  It  was  edited  by  the  antiquary,  William  Bray 
(co-author  with  Owen  Manning  of  the  History  of 
Surrey),  from  the  original  MS.  at  Wotton,  then 
in  the  possession  of  Lady  Evelyn,  widow  of  the 
Diarist's  great  -  great  -  grandson.  Sir  Frederick 
Evelyn,  Bart.  Lady  Evelyn  died  on  the  12th 
November,  1817,  when  the  last  sheets  were  in 
the  hands  of  the  printer,  and  the  dedication,  which 
Bray  had  intended  for  her,  was  then  transferred 
to  her  devisee,  John  Evelyn,  a  descendant  of 
Sylva  Evelyn's  grandfather.  According  to  William 
Upcott,  Assistant -Librarian  of  the  London  In- 
stitution, who  catalogued  the  Wotton  books.  Lady 
Evelyn,  although  she  freely  lent  the  Diary  from 

vii 


viii  PREFACE 

time  to  time  to  her  particular  friends,  did  not 
regard  it  as  of  sufficient  importance  for  publication  ; 
and,  except  for  an  accident,  it  might  have  been 
cut  up  for  dress  patterns,  or  served  to  light  fires.^ 
This  fortunate  "accident"  was  its  exhibition  in 
1814  to  Upcott ;  and  Lady  Evelyn  subsequently, 
"  after  much  solicitation  from  many  persons,"  con- 
sented to  its  being  printed  under  the  auspices  of 
Bray,  who,  in  his  "  Preface,"  renders  special  thanks 
to  Upcott  "for  the  great  and  material  assistance 
received  from  him "  .  .  .  "  besides  his  attention  to 
the  superintendence  of  the  Press."  Why  Upcott, 
to  whom  the  MS.  was  communicated  without  re- 
serve by  Lady  Evelyn,  and  who  edited  Evelyn's 
Miscellaneous  Writings  in  1825,  did  not  also  edit 
the  Diary,  does  not  appear  ;  but — as  we  shall  see 
— it  continued  to  engage  his  attention  even  after 
Bray's  death  in  1882. 

The  first  edition  of  Evelyn's  Memoirs  was  well 
received, — Southey,  in  particular,  vouchsafing  to  it 
a  long  and  sympathetic  notice  in  the  Quarterly  for 
April,  1818.  In  1819  appeared  a  second  quarto 
edition.  Eight  years  later,  in  1827,  this  was 
followed  by  a  five -volume  octavo  edition,  which 
has  often  been  reprinted,  notably  in  1879,  by 
Messrs.  Bickers  and  Bush,  with  a  careful  Life  of 
Evelyn  by  Mr.  Henry  B.  Wheatley,  F.S.A.-     In 

1  Preface  to  Frederick  Strong's  Catalogue,  quoted  in  Dews' 
Deptford,  2nd  edition,  1884,  p.  211. 

2  A  reissue  of  this  is  now  (June,  1906)  in  course  of  publi- 
cation. 


PREFACE  ix 

Messrs.  Bickers  and  Bush's  "Preface"  it  is  ex- 
pressly stated  that,  after  several  applications  to 
the  owner  of  the  MS.,  Mr.  W.  J.  Evelyn  of 
Wotton,  for  permission  to  consult  it,  that  gentle- 
man eventually  replied  that  "  Colburn  s  third  edition 
of  the  Diary  was  very  correctly  printed  from  the 
MS.,"  and  might  "be  relied  on  as  giving  an 
accurate  text."  ' 

Notwithstanding  this  statement,  there  was,  in 
1879,  actually  in  the  market  an  edition  of  the 
Diary,  based  upon  Bray,  which  professed  to  be 
somewhat  fuller  than  that  issued  in  1827.  In 
1850-52,  John  Forster,  the  biographer  of  Gold- 
smith, had  put  forth  a  fresh  issue  of  Bray,  includ- 
ing various  supplementary  passages,  which,  owing 
to  the  first  sheets  of  the  edition  of  1827  having 
been  struck  off  without  Upcott's  revision,  had 
not  been  included  in  that  text.  Forster  further 
explained  that  Upcott's  interest  in  his  task  had 
continued  unabated  until  his  death  in  1845,  and 
that  the  latest  literary  labour  upon  which  he  had 
been  occupied  had  been  the  revision  and  prepara- 
tion of  the  version  which  Forster  subsequently 
edited  in  1850.  He  lived  (said  Forster)  to  com- 
plete, for  this  purpose,  "  a  fresh  and  careful  com- 
parison of  the  edition  printed  in  octavo  in  1827 
(which  he  had  himself,  with  the  exception  of  the 
earliest  sheets  of  the  first  volume,  superintended 
for  the  press)  with  the  original  manuscript ;  by 
which    many    material    omissions    in    the    earlier 


X  PREFACE 

quartos  were  supplied,  and  other  not  unimportant 
corrections  made."  Forster's  edition  was  reissued 
in  1854,  and  again  in  1857.  It  was  then  added 
to  "Bohn's  Libraries,"  now  published  by  Messrs. 
George  Bell  and  Sons.  In  the  ** Preface"  to  the 
issue  of  1857,  Forster  writes  :  *'  The  volumes  con- 
taining the  Diary  have  since  [/.^.  since  the  edition 
of  1850]  undergone  still  more  careful  revision,  and 
the  text,  as  now  presented,  is  throughout  in  a  more 
perfect  state." 

It  would  be  going  too  far  to  claim  the  additions 
of  Upcott  as  of  signal  importance, — many  of 
them,  indeed,  by  Forster's  own  admission,  consist 
of  "trifling  personal  details,"^  and  they  are  practi- 
cally confined  to  the  earlier  portion  of  the  first 
volume.^  But  Forster's  text  has  long  enjoyed 
a  deserved  reputation ;  it  was  declared  by  the 
Quarterly  Review,  as  late  as  1896,  to  "leave 
little  to  be  desired "  ;  and  being  demonstrably  the 
fullest,  it  has  been  adopted  in  the  present  case. 
"  In  compliance  with  a  wish  very  generally 
expressed,"  its  spelling  was  modernized ;  and  as 
it  is  impracticable,  without  access  to  Upcott's 
original  sources,  to  archaize  his  additions,  and  as, 
moreover,  Evelyn's  very  uncertain  method — which 
can    scarcely   be    termed    orthography — has   little 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  102  w. 

-  This  is  confimied  by  the  fact  that  vols.  ii.  and  iii.  of  the 
present  edition,  though  set  up  from  Forster's  text,  have  been 
read  against  vols.  ii.  and  iii.  of  Bray's  edition  of  1827,  without  the 
discovery  of  any  material  differences  except  the  spelling. 


PREFACE  xi 

philological  value,  Forster's  text  has  been  followed 
in  this  respect  also.  Forster,  however,  can  scarcely 
be  said  to  have  carried  out  his  modernizing  as 
thoroughly  as  might  have  been  expected.  He 
made  little  or  no  attempt  to  rectify  Evelyn's 
capricious  use  of  foreign  words;  and  he  allowed 
such  expressions  as  "  Jardine  Royale"  and  "Bonnes 
Hommes"  to  remain  unaltered.  Nor  did  he  observe 
any  consistent  practice  with  respect  to  names  of 
places.  He  turns  "  Braineford  "  into  "  Brentford," 
"Bruxelles"  into  "Brussels,"  "Midelbrogh"  into 
"  JMiddleburgh  " — as  he  could  scarcely  fail  to  do  ;  but 
he  left  many  other  names  as  Evelyn  had  left  them, 
or  as  Bray  or  Upcott  had  mistranscribed  them. 
Thus  "Stola  Tybertina"  is  allowed  to  stand  for 
"  Isola  Tiberina,"  "  Scargalasino "  for  *'  Scarica 
I'Asino,"  "  St.  Saforin "  for  "  St.  Symphorien- 
de-Lay,"  "Palestina"  for  " Pelestrina,"  "Mount 
Sampion "  for  "  Mount  Simplon "  ;  while  "  St. 
Geminiano"  continues  to  masquerade  as  "St. 
Jacomo"  without  any  note  of  explanation.  Nor 
is  he  always  fortunate  in  the  names  of  persons, 
although  this,  of  course,  admits  of  greater  latitude 
both  of  taste  and  fancy.  He  leaves  the  martyr 
"  Hewit "  disguised  as  "  Hewer  "  ;  and  "  Pearson  " 
(of  the  Creed)  as  "Pierson."  These  are  only  some 
out  of  several  similar  cases ;  and  it  is  not  by  any 
means  contended  that   all   have  been  discovered.^ 

^  One  or  two  of  the  unconscious  modernizations  are  scarcely 
improvements.     '^Air-park"  for  "  hare-park  "  would  Jiave  pleased 
VOL.  I  b 


xii  PREFACE 

A  few,  it  must  be  frankly  confessed,  have  baffled 
inquiry.  But — to  echo  Forster's  words  with  a 
modification — it  may,  I  trust,  be  fairly  contended 
that  the  text  is  now  in  a  more  accurate  state. 

It  is  noted  by  Forster,  and  should  be  repeated, 
that  Evelyn's  Diary  "does  not,  in  all  respects, 
strictly  fulfil  what  the  term  implies."  It  was  not, 
like  that  of  Pepys,  composed  from  day  to  day  ;  but 
must  often  have  been  "  written  up  "  long  after  the 
incidents  recorded,  and  sometimes  when  the  writer's 
memory  betrayed  him,  or  when  he  inserted  fresh 
information  under  a  wrong  heading.  He  frequently 
refers  to  persons  by  titles  they  only  bore  at  a 
period  subsequent  to  the  date  of  entry.  Once,  if 
Bray  is  correct,  he  seems  to  speak  of  his  elder 
brother's  second  wife  before  the  first  was  dead. 
Now  and  then,  the  difference  between  O.S.  and 
N.S.  throws  some  light  upon  the  matter.  But 
it  does  not  explain  why  he  professes  to  have 
witnessed  Oliver  Cromwell's  funeral  on  the  22nd 
October  when  it  took  place  on  the  23rd  November.^ 
At  other  times  he  groups  a  number  of  events  in 
one  entry,  an  arrangement  which  brings  the  battle 
of  Edgehill  under  the  3rd  of  October,  when  it 
really  was  fought  on  the  23rd.^     Forster's  solution 

Polonius.  "  Rode  "  for  "  rowed/'  especially  at  Venice — "  the  only 
city  in  Europe  where,"  as  Thackeray  said  of  G.  P.  R.  James,  "the 
famous  '  Two  Cavaliers '  cannot  by  any  possibility  be  seen  riding 
together  " — is  unhappy.  "  Calais/'  again^  for  "  Cales  "  (Cadiz)  is 
odd.  But  these  are  lapses  of  vigilance  to  which  the  best  of  us 
are  liable, — and  they  are  rare. 

1  Vol.  ii.  pp.  136  and  158.  2  y^x^  ^  p  gj. 


PREFACE  xiii 

of  these  things  is  probably  correct.  He  supposes 
the  JDiary  to  have  *'been  copied  by  the  writer 
from  memoranda  made  at  the  time  of  the  occur- 
rences noted  in  it,"  and  that  it  "received  occa- 
sional alterations  and  additions  in  the  course 
of  transcription."  This  must  be  held  to  account 
for  "discrepancies  otherwise  not  easily  reconciled," 
and  also  "for  differing  descriptions  of  the  same 
objects  and  occurrences  which  have  occasionally 
been  found  in  the  MS.  thus  compiled."  It  should 
also  be  added  that  (as  Mr.  Forster  does  not  seem 
to  have  been  aware)  Evelyn  began,  but  did  not 
complete,  an  amplified  transcription  of  the  whole,^ 
from  which  some  of  Upcott's  additions  were  no 
doubt  derived.  The  effect  of  all  this  is  to  deprive 
the  record  of  its  character  as  a  "  Kalendarium  "  or 
"  Diary,"  and  to  bring  it  rather  into  the  category 
of  "Memoirs,"  the  title  which  Bray  gave  to  the 
general  collection  of  documents  he  issued  in  1818, 
and  which  Evelyn,  in  one  place,  uses  himself.^ 

To  each  of  their  editions  Messrs.  Bray  and 
Forster  appended  notes.  Those  of  Bray,  who  was 
assisted  by  the  well-known  collector,  James  Bindley 
of  the  Stamp  Office,  are  in  many  respects  valuable, 
in  some  respects  authoritative,  especially  on  local 
matters.  But  they  are  now  eighty  years  old,  while 
not  a  few  of  them,  doubtless  from  the  writer's  want 
of  access  to  sources  of  information  now  open  to 

^  This  is  still  at  Wotton.     It  extends  from  the  beginning  of 
the  Diary  to  October,  l64'4. 
2  Vol",  ii.  p.  365. 


XIV 


PREFACE 


every  one,  were  never  very  pertinent.  Forster,  in 
1850,  rather  remodelled  Bray  than  revised  him, 
adding  at  the  end  of  the  volumes  a  number  of 
fresh  annotations  of  his  own,  which,  from  his 
familiarity  with  the  period  (was  he  not  the  author 
of  the  Lives  of  the  Statesmen  of  the  Common- 
wealth !)  are  naturally  not  to  be  neglected.  But 
half  a  century  again  has  passed  away  since  they 
were  penned,  and  a  vast  amount  of  literature  has 
grown  up  around  what  was  once  one  of  their 
writer's  special  subjects.  In  his  issue  of  1857, 
Forster  incorporated  his  notes  with  Bray's  without 
distinction.  Of  the  body  of  comment  thus  created, 
I  have  freely  availed  myself,  abridging,  expanding, 
amending,  or  suppressing,  as  circumstances  seemed 
to  require.  In  addition,  I  have  prepared  a  large 
number  of  supplementary  notes,  illustrative  and 
explanatory,  which  are  uniformly  placed  between 
square  brackets  thus  [  ].  Although  I  have  care- 
fully examined,  and  in  some  cases  recast,  the  exist- 
ing notes,  I  have  not  felt  justified  in  claiming, 
even  in  an  altered  form,  what  I  have  not  originated  ; 
and  I  have  only  in  a  few  instances  bracketed  such 
inserted  passages  as,  from  their  very  nature,  are 
either  obviously  modern  or  readily  detachable  from 
the  context.^  As  to  the  notes  which  appear  for 
the  first  time  in  this  edition,  I  leave  them  to  their 
fate.     To  some  people  something  will  always  be 

^  Occasionally,  where  the  note  expresses  a  personal  opinion, 
or  makes  a  statement  which  cannot  be  verified,  I  have  given  it 
upon  the  authority  of  its  author. 


PREFACE  XV 

superfluous  :  to  others  something  will  always  be 
lacking.  But  I  hope  fresh  readers  of  Evelyn  may, 
in  the  present  instance,  at  least  be  willing  to  allow 
that  a  definite  attempt  has  been  made  to  throw 
light  upon  whatever  in  his  pages  an  invida  cetas  has 
laboured  to  obscure. 

The  Illustrations  to  these  volumes,  like  those  to 
the  JDiary  and  Letters  of  Mme.  D'Arblay,  have 
been  selected  for  their  informing  rather  than  their 
pictorial  quality  ;  and  also  because,  besides  referring 
to  persons  or  places  mentioned  in  the  text,  they 
are,  as  far  as  possible,  contemporary,  or  nearly 
contemporary,  with  it.  They  are  fully  described 
in  the  Lists  which  precede  each  volume.  As 
before,  I  have,  in  selecting  them,  enjoyed  the 
advantage  of  the  wide  experience  and  ready  sym- 
pathy of  Mr.  Emery  Walker. 

My  thanks  are  due,  and  are  hereby  gratefully 
tendered,  to  Sir  Archibald  Geikie,  F.R.S.,  Secre- 
tary to  the  Royal  Society ;  Mr.  Edmund  Gosse  ; 
the  Rev.  William  Hunt,  President  of  the  Royal 
Historical  Society  ;  Mr.  Sidney  T.  Irwin  of  Clifton 
College ;  Mr.  P.  Chalmers  Mitchell,  F.R.S.,  Secre- 
tary to  the  Zoological  Society;  and  Mr.  Henry 
R.  Tedder,  the  Secretary  and  Librarian  of  the 
Athenaeum  Club — for  kind  information  on  divers 
matters  of  detail. 

As  a  last  word,  I  may  perhaps  anticipate  a  not 
unnatural  inquiry.  What  am  I — whose  labours 
have  usually  been  confined  to  craft  of  a  different 


xvi  PREFACE 

build  and  date — doing  in  this  particular  galley  of 
the  seventeenth  century  ?  I  do  not  propose  to 
take  refuge  in  the  quibble  that  Evelyn,  although 
he  lived  in  the  seventeenth  century,  died  in  the 
eighteenth.  Nor  will  I  suggest  that,  by  his  very 
cast  and  complexion  of  mind,  he  prefigures  and 
foreshadows  many  eighteenth -century  character- 
istics in  a  way  which  is  extremely  interesting  to 
the  eighteenth -century  student.  Rather  would  1 
submit  that  the  qualities  which  make  for  research 
in  one  epoch  are  equally  serviceable  in  another ; — 
nay,  that  those  qualities  may  even  be  quickened 
and  intensified  by  a  special  enthusiasm  for  the 
subject  in  hand.  My  respect  for,  and  attraction 
to,  John  Evelyn  of  Sayes  Court  and  AA^otton  are 
of  many  years'  standing ;  but  it  is  only  in  the  last 
two  that  circumstances  have  enabled  me  to  do 
him  yeoman's  service  by  editing  and  annotating, 
— however  imperfectly, — his  unique  and  memor- 
able chronicle. 


AUSTIN  DOBSON. 


75  Eaton  Rise,  Ealing,  W., 
June,  1906. 


INTRODUCTION 

On  John  Evelyn's  tomb  in  Wotton  Church  it  is 
recorded  that  he  lived  in  **  an  age  of  extraordinary 
Events  and  Revolutions."  To  be  the  captain  of 
one's  soul  in  such  conditions  is  not  an  easy  matter ; 
and  it  is  greatly  to  Evelyn's  credit  that  he  was 
able  to  steer  a  steady  course.  TJiough  a  staunch 
Church-of-England  man,  he  succeeded,  as  an  equally 
staunch  royalist,  in  deserving  the  goodwill  of  two 
monarchs,  of  whom  one  was  a  secret,  the  other 
an  open  Roman  Catholic ;  and  he  retained  the 
respect  of  both  without  any  surrender  of  principle. 
He  is  an  excellent  example  of  the  English  Country 
Gentleman  of  the  better  sort,  proud  of  his  position, 
but  recognising  its  responsibilities  ;  liberally  edu- 
cated ;  conveniently  learned  ;  a  virtuoso  with  a  turn 
for  useful  knowledge,  and  a  genuine  enthusiast  for 
anything  tending  to  the  improvement  of  his  race  or 
country.  In  an  epoch  of  plotting  and  place-hunting, 
he  neither  place-hunted  nor  plotted.  For  advance- 
ment or  reward  he  cared  but  little,  being  content 
to  do  his  duty,  often  at  his  own  charges,  as  a  good 
citizen  and  a  philanthropist.^     Pious,  tolerant,  open- 

1  Like  his  father,  he  was  "  a  studious  dediner  of  honours  and 
titles."  Knighthood — he  tells  us  as  early  as  September,  l649 — 
was  a  dignity  he  had  often  refused  (vol.  ii.  p.  17),  as  he  did  the 
Bath  afterwards  (ibid.  p.  l6l).  Nor  was  he  keen  for  office.  Once, 
indeed,  he  seems  to  have  made  some  faltering  attempt  to  "  serve 
his  Majesty  "  as  "  Inspector  of  Forest  Trees,"  a  little  post  of 
barely  <£300,  for  which,  as  the  author  of  Si^lva,  he  was  peculiarly 

xvii 


xviii  INTRODUCTION 

minded,  prudent,  honourable — he  belongs  to  the 
roll  of  those  of  whom  our  land,  even  in  its  darkest 
days,  has  always  had  reason  to  be  proud.  Of  such 
an  one  it  is  a  privilege  to  write. 

Evelyn's  Memoirs,^  unlike  the  more  expansive, 
though,  in  another  sense,  more  restricted,  Diary  of 
his  contemporary  Pepys,  extend  over  so  many 
years  that  they  practically  cover  his  lifetime,  and 
while  chronicling  current  events,  recount  his  own 
history.  In  the  present  "  Introduction "  it  is 
therefore  only  necessary  to  dwell  minutely  upon 
those  phases  of  his  biography  which,  for  one  reason 
or  another,  he  has  neglected  or  passed  by  in  his 
records.  He  was  born,  he  tells  us,  on  the  31st 
October,  1620,  at  the  family  seat  of  Wotton 
House,  near  Dorking  in  Surrey,  being  the  fourth 
child  and  second  son  of  Richard  Evelyn  and  his 
wife  Eleanor,  only  daughter  of  John  Standsfield 
of  Lewes  in  Sussex.  His  father  was  the  fourth 
son  of  George  Evelyn  of  Long  Ditton,  Godstone, 
and  Wotton,  all  of  which  estates  he — by  what 
Mar  veil  calls  "  good  husbandry  in  petre  "  ^ — had 
acquired  from  time  to  time,  and  settled  upon  his 
sons.  Thomas,  the  eldest,  went  to  Long  Ditton  ; 
the  second,  John,  took  up  his  residence  at  God- 
stone  ;  while  to  the  third,  Richard,  fell  Wotton.^ 
At    Wotton,    a    spot    having    "  rising    grounds, 

qualified.  But  the  appointment,  as  usual,  was  given  by  preference 
to  one  "  who  had  seldom  been  out  of  the  smoke  of  London  " 
(Letter  to  the  Countess  of  Sunderland,  4th  August,  I69O). 
He  was  also  promised  the  reversion  of  the  Latin  Secretaryship 
— "a  place  of  more  honour  and  dignity  than  profit"  (vol.  ii. 
p.  306). 

1  See  Preface,  pp.  xii.,  xiii. 

2  He  was  a  manufacturer  of  gunpowder. 

3  It  will  save  trouble  to  add  here  that  each  of  these  three 
families  had,  in  the  future,  the  title  of  baronet  conferred  upon 
them,  viz.  at  Godstone  in  166O;  at  Long  Ditton,  l683  ;  and  at 
Wotton,  1713. 


INTRODUCTION  xix 

meadows,  woods,  and  water  in  abundance,"  John 
Evelyn  passed  his  childhood,  receiving,  when  four 
years  of  age,  the  rudiments  of  his  education  from 
one  Frier,  in  a  room  which  formerly  existed  over 
the  now  modernised  porch  of  the  little  Early 
English  Church  of  St.  John  the  Evangelist.  At 
five  he  was  sent  to  his  grandfather  Standsfield  at 
Lewes ;  and  eventually  attended  the  free  school  at 
Southover,  a  suburb  of  that  town.  At  one  time 
there  seems  to  have  been  some  intention  of  sending 
him  to  Eton  ;  but  his  imagination  had  been  excited 
by  reports  of  the  severe  discipline  commemorated 
of  old  by  Tusser,^  and  he  remained  at  Southover. 
It  is  characteristic  of  a  visit  which  he  paid  about 
this  time  to  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Carews  at 
Beddington,  that  he  "  was  much  delighted  with  the 
gardens  and  curiosities."^  These  were  things  in 
which — as  we  shall  see — his  interest  never  abated. 

When  he  was  fifteen,  he  lost  his  mother, 
with  whom,  owing  to  his  long  absences  from 
home,  his  intercourse  can  have  been  but  broken. 
Her  death,  on  the  29th  September,  1635,  was 
hastened  by  that  of  his  eldest  sister,  Elizabeth, 
who  had  married  unhappily  and  died  in  childbirth. 
Evelyn  describes  his  mother  quaintly  as  "  of  proper 
personage  ;  of  a  brown  complexion  ;  her  eyes  and 
hair  of  a  lovely  black ;  of  constitution  more  in- 
clined to  a  religious  melancholy,  or  pious  sadness ; 
of  a  rare  memory,  and  most  exemplary  life ;  for 
economy  and  prudence,  esteemed  one  of  the  most 
conspicuous  in  her  country:  which  rendered  her 
loss  much  deplored,  both  by  those  who  knew,  and 
such  as  only  heard  of  her."^  In  February,  1637, 
while  still  at  Lewes,  he  was  "  especially  admitted  " 

^  From  Paul's  I  went,  to  Eton  sent. 
To  learn  straightways  the  Latin  phrase. 
Where  fifty-three  stripes  given  to  me 
At  once  I  had. 
2  Vol.  i.  p.  9.  ^  Vol.  i.  p.  3. 


XX  INTRODUCTION 

(with  his  younger  brother  Richard)  into  the  Middle 
Temple.  He  quitted  school  in  the  following 
April ;  and  in  May  entered  Ealliol  College, 
Oxford,  as  a  Fellow-Commoner,  matriculating  on 
the  29th.  His  tutor  was  George  Bradshaw  {nomen 
invisum  I — writes  the  diarist  with  a  shudder),^  who 
afterwards  became  JNIaster ;  but  at  this  period 
seems  to  have  been  too  much  occupied  in  harassing 
the  constituted  authorities  in  the  interests  of  the 
Parliamentary  visitors,  to  pay  sufficient  attention 
to  his  pupil.^  Beyond  the  facts  that  Evelyn  made 
acquaintance  with  a  Greek  graduate,  Nathaniel 
Conopios,  notable  as  one  of  the  earliest  drinkers  of 
coffee  in  England,  and  that  he  presented  some  books 
to  the  college  library,  we  hear  little  of  his  academic 
doings.  He  appears,  however,  to  have  assiduously 
attended  the  popular  riding  Academy  of  William 
Stokes ;  ^  made  some  progress  in  the  elements  of 
music  and  "the  mathematics,"^  and  secured  a  con- 
genial "guide,  philosopher,  and  friend"  in  James 
Thicknesse,  or  Thickens,  afterwards  his  travelling 
companion  in  the  Grand  Tour.  He  was  joined  at 
Oxford  in  January,  1640,  by  his  younger  brother, 
Richard.  Not  very  long  after,  they  both  went 
into  residence  at  the  JNIiddle  Temple,  occupying 
"  a  very  handsome  apartment "  (in  place  of  an 
earlier  lodging  in  Essex  Court)  "just  over  against 
the  Hall -court."  ^  But  for  the  "  impolished  study  " 
of  the  law, — 

That  codeless  myriad  of  precedent, 
That  wilderness  of  single  instances,*^ — 

1  He  was  the  son  of  the  Rector  of  Ockham ;  but  may  have 
been  related  to  the  regicide,  John  Bradshaw. 

2  Vol.  i.  p.  14.  3  Vol.  i.  p.  17. 

•*  He  must  also  have  been — like  Fielding — "  early  master  of 
the  Latin  classics."  To  an  exact  knowledge  of  Greek  he  made 
no  pretence  (Letter  to  Wren,  4th  April,  l665). 

^  Vol.  i.  p.  19.  ^  Tennyson's  Ayhners  Field. 


INTRODUCTION  xxi 

Evelyn  had  no  aptitude,  and  he  engaged  upon  it 
mainly  by  his  father's  desire. 

At  the  close  of  1640,  his  father  died.  His 
brother  George,  who  had  recently  married  a 
Leicestershire  heiress,^  duly  succeeded  to  the 
Wotton  patrimony;  and,  for  his  juniors,  the 
world  was  all  before  them.  It  was  not  a  par- 
ticularly inviting  world.  Especially  was  it  un- 
inviting to  a  youth  bereft  of  his  natural  counsellors; 
and — as  Evelyn  modestly  describes  himself — "of 
a  raw,  vain,  uncertain,  and  very  unwary  inclina- 
tion."^ Signs  of  growing  popular  discontent  were 
everywhere  observable ;  and  among  Evelyn's 
earliest  experiences  were  the  trial  of  Strafford, 
and  the  consequent  severance  from  its  shoulders 
of  "the  wisest  head  in  England."^  Even  to  this 
unlessoned  spectator  (he  was  but  twenty),  it  was 
sufficiently  plain  that  "the  medal  was  reversing" 
and  the  national  "  calamities  but  yet  in  their 
infancy."^  He  accordingly  resolved  that,  for  the 
present,  his  best  course  would  be  to  withdraw 
himself  for  a  season  "from  this  ill  face  of  things 
at  home."  ^  His  decision  was  discreet  rather  than 
heroic  ;  but  it  was  one  which  is  more  easy  to  discuss 
than  condemn.^ 

In  the  ensuing  July,  having  renewed  his  oath  of 
allegiance  at  the  Custom -House,  he  started  for 
Holland,  in  company  with  a  gentleman  of  Surrey 
called  Caryll.  They  reached  Flushing  on  the  22nd, 
and  made  their  way  towards  Gennep,  a  stronghold 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  19.  2  Vol.  i.  p.  21. 

3  Vol.  i.  pp.  22,  23.  4  Vol.  i.  p.  25. 

5  Vol.  i.  p.  25. 

^  What  drove  Evelyn  away,  brought  Milton  back.  Three 
years  earlier,  Milton,  bein^  abroad,  *^  considered  it  dishonour- 
able to  be  enjoying  myself  at  my  ease  in  foreign  lands,  while 
my  countrymen  were  striking  a  blow  for  freedom  "  (Pattison's 
Milton,  187.9,  p.  S^y  But  the  points  of  view  were  different,  and 
the  men. 


xxii  INTRODUCTION 

then  held  by  the  Spaniards  against  the  French  and 
Dutch.  As  ill  luck  would  have  it,  by  the  time 
they  reached  their  destination,  the  place  had 
already  been  reduced.  But  while  it  was  being 
re-fortified  by  its  captors,  there  was  still  oppor- 
tunity for  doing  volunteer  duty  in  a  company 
of  Goring's  regiment ;  and  for  a  few  days  the 
travellers  religiously  "trailed  the  puissant  pike," 
and  took  their  turn  as  sentries  upon  a  horn-work. 
A  brief  experience  of  camp  life,  however,  coupled 
with  the  exacting  demands  made  upon  him  as  "  a 
young  drinker,"  seems  to  have  satisfied  Evelyn's 
military  aspirations  ;  and  bidding  farewell  to  the 
"leaguer  and  cainarades^'  he  embarked  on  the 
Waal  in  August  for  Rotterdam.  He  visited 
Delft  (where  he  duly  surveyed  the  tomb  of 
William  the  Silent),  the  Hague  (where  the 
widowed  Queen  of  Bohemia  was  then  keeping 
Court),  Haarlem,  Leyden,  Antwerp,  and  so  forth, 
delighting  in  the  "  Dutch  drolleries "  of  kermesse 
and  fair,  inspecting  churches,  convents,  museums, 
palaces,  and  gardens,  and  buying  books,  prints,  and 
pictures.  From  Antwerp  he  passed  to  Brussels, 
whence  he  journeyed  to  Ghent  to  meet  a  great 
Surrey  magnate  and  neighbour,  Thomas  Howard, 
Lord  Arundel,  who,  as  Earl  Marshal  of  England, 
had  recently  escorted  the  ill-starred  JNIarie  de 
Medicis  to  the  Continent  on  her  way  to  Cologne.^ 
In  Arundel's  train  Evelyn  eventually  returned 
home,  reaching  his  lodgings  in  the  Temple  on  the 
14th  October,  1641. 

By  this  time  he  was  one-and-twenty,  and  the 
civil  war  had  begun  in  earnest.  For  the  next 
few  months  he  alternated  between  AVotton  and 
London,  "studying  a  little,  but  dancing  and 
fooling  more."^  Then  he  was  all  but  engulfed 
in   the   national   struggle.      In    November   he  set 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  45.  2  Voi^  i.  p,  50. 


INTRODUCTION  xxiii 

out  to  join  the  royal  forces.  But  the  same  fate 
overtook  him  which  lie  had  suffered  at  Geimep. 
He  arrived  when  the  battle  of  Brentford  was  over  ; 
and  the  King,  in  spite  of  his  success,  was  about 
to  retire  upon  Oxford.  The  not-wholJy-explicit 
sequel  must  be  given  in  his  own  words.  "  I  came 
in  with  my  horse  and  arms  just  at  the  retreat,  but 
was  not  permitted^  to  stay  longer  than  the  15th 
[the  battle  had  taken  place  on  the  12th]  by  reason 
of  the  army  marching  to  Gloucester  [Oxford  ?]  ; 
which  would  have  left  both  me  and  my  brothers 
exposed  to  ruin,  without  any  advantage  to  his 
]Majesty."  ^  He  accordingly  rode  back  to  Wotton, 
where,  "  resolving  to  possess  himself  in  some  quiet, 
if  it  might  be,"^  he  devoted  his  energies,  with  his 
elder  brother's  permission,  to  building  a  study, 
digging  a  fish-pond,  contriving  an  island,  "  and  some 
other  solitudes  and  retirements  " — "  which  gave  the 
first  occasion  of  improving  them  to  those  water- 
works and  gardens  which  afterwards  succeeded 
them,  and  became  at  that  time  the  most  famous  of 
England."^ 

These  anticipatory  references  to  the  yet  un- 
realised attractions  of  Wotton,  afford  another 
illustration  of  that  '*  Memoir "  character  of 
Evelyn's  Kalendarium  to  which,  in  the  "  Preface  " 
to  this  volume,  attention  has  already  been  drawn.^ 
But  the  moment  was  unfavourable  to  "  Hortulan 
pursuits "  ;  and  after  sending  his  *'  black  manege 
horse  and  furniture"  as  an  offering  to  Charles  at 
Oxford,  and  shifting  for  a  time  uneasily  between 
London  and  Surrey  to  escape  signing  the  Solemn 

1  By  whom  ? — is  a  not  unreasonable  question.  Bray,  how- 
ever, puts  the  matter  intelHgibly  : — "  After  the  battle  there  [at 
Brentford]  he  desisted,  considering  that  his  brother's,  as  well  as 
his  own  estates,  were  so  near  London  as  to  be  fully  in  the  power 
of  the  Parliament"  (^Memoirs  of  John  Evelyn,  1827,  i.  xv.). 

2  Vol.  i.  p.  61.  3  Vol.  i.  p.  62. 
4  Vol.  i.  pp.  62-63.  5  pp^  xii.,  xiii. 


xxiv  INTRODUCTION 

League  and  Covenant,  Evelyn  reluctantly  came 
once  more  to  the  conclusion  that  without  "  doing 
very  unhandsome  things,"  it  was  impracticable  for 
him  to  remain  in  his  disturbed  native  land.  For 
the  law  he  felt  he  had  no  kind  of  aptitude ;  and 
therefore,  not  to  delay  until — in  the  mixed  meta- 
phor of  one  of  his  contemporaries — "the  drums 
and  trumpets  blew  his  gown  over  his  ears,"  ^  he 
applied  for,  and  obtained,  in  October,  1643,  His 
Majesty's  licence  to  travel  again. ^  This  permission 
did  not  apparently,  as  in  James  Howell's  case,  in- 
volve a  prohibition  to  visit  that  contagious  centre  of 
Romanism,  Rome,  since  Evelyn  later  spent  several 
months  there.  His  travelling  companion,  on  this 
second  occasion,  was  his  Balliol  friend  Thicknesse, 
not  as  yet  ejected  from  his  fellowship  for  loyalty. 
He  subsequently  speaks  of  other  and  later  "  fellow- 
travellers  in  Italy" — Lord  Bruce,  JNIr.  J.  CrafFord, 
JNIr.  Thomas  Henshaw,  Mr.  Francis  Bramston,  etc. 
But  of  his  compagnons  de  voyage  we  hear  little  in 
his  chronicle,  and  it  is  more  convenient  in  general 
to  speak  of  him  as  if  he  were  alone. 

Setting  out  from  the  Tower  Wharf  on  the  9th 
November,  he  made  perilous  passage  "  in  a  pair  of 
oars "  and  "  a  hideous  storm "  to  Sittingbourne. 
Thence  he  went  by  post  to  Dover,  and  so  to 
Calais.  From  Calais,  after  inspecting — like  most 
of  his  countrymen — the  "relics  of  our  former 
dominion,"  he  proceeded  to  Boulogne,  narrowly 
escaping  drowning  in  crossing  a  SAVollen  river. 
Pushing  forward,  not  without  apprehension  of 
the  predatory  Spanish  "volunteers,"  he  came  by 
JNIontreuil  and  Abbeville  to  Beauvais,  and  that 
"  cemetery  of  monarchs,"  St.  Denis.  Here,  in 
the  Abbey  Church,  he  surveyed,  with  respectful 
incredulity,  the  portrait  of  the  Queen  of  Sheba, 

1  Sir  John  Bramston  (^Autobiography,  1845,  p.  103). 
2  Vol.  i.  p.  68. 


INTRODUCTION  xxv 

the  lantern  of  Judas  Iscariot,  the  drinking-cnp  of 
Solomon,  and  the  other  "  equally  authentic  toys  " 
of  that  time-honoured  collection.  About  five  on  a 
December  afternoon  he  arrived  at  Paris. 

After  a  preliminary  visit  to  the  English 
Resident,  Sir  Richard  Browne,  Evelyn  began  his 
round  of  the  Gallic  capital,  rejoicing  in  the 
superiority  of  the  French  freestone  to  the  English 
cobbles,  and  visiting  the  different  churches,  palaces, 
public  buildings,  and  private  collections.  In  this 
way  he  saw  Notre  Dame,  the  Tuileries,  the  Palais 
Cardinal,  the  Luxembourg,  St.  Germain  and 
Fontainebleau,  noting  the  pictures  and  curiosities, 
and  not  forgetting  the  puppet-players  at  the  Pont 
Neuf,  or  Monsieur  du  Plessis'  celebrated  Academy 
for  riding  the  "great  horse "^  (i.e.  charger  or  war- 
horse),  where,  in  addition,  young  gentlemen  were 
taught  "to  fence,  dance,  play  on  music,  and 
something  in  fortification  and  the  mathematics,"^ 
—  all  of  which  accomplishments  (according  to 
Howell)  might  be  acquired  for  150  pistoles,  or 
about  £110  per  annum,  lodging  and  diet  included. 
He  also  assisted  at  a  review  of  20,000  men  in 
the  Bois  de  Boulogne.  Acting  upon  Howell's 
injunctions,^  he  duly  scaled  the  Tower  of  St. 
Jacques  la  Boucherie  in  order  to  get  a  bird's-eye 

1  "  Riding  the  great  horse "  was  part  of  a  seventeenth- 
century  genueman's  education.  '^The  exercises  I  chiefly  used," 
— says  Lord  Herbert  of  Cherbury, — ^'^and  most  recommend  to 
my  posterity,  were  riding  the  great  horse  and  fencing"  (Life, 
Sidney  Lee's  edition,  1886,  p.  68).  His  brother  also  refers  to 
this  : — "  Every  morning  that  he  [the  count nj  gentleviaTi]  is  at 
home,  he  must  either  ride  the  Great  Horse,  or  exercise  some  of 
his  Military  gestures"  {The  Country  Parson,  1652,  by  George 
Herbert,  Beeching's  edition,  1898,  p.  132). 

2  Vol.  i.  p.  102.  George  Herbert  also  "commends  the 
Mathematicks,"  as  well  as  the  two  noble  branches  thereof,  "  of 
Fortification  and  Navigation"  (The  Country  Parson,  Beeching's 
edition,  1898,  p.  133). 

3  Forreine  Travel,  l642.  Sect.  iii. 


xxvi  INTRODUCTION 

view  of  the  old,  populous,  picturesque,  malodorous 
Paris  of  the  seventeenth  century,  lying  securely 
within  the  zigzag  of  its  outworks,  and  traversed  by 
the  shining  Seine.  Hard  by,  at  the  churchyard 
of  the  Innocents,  he  watched  the  busy  scriveners, 
with  tombstones  for  tables,  incessantly  scratching 
letters  for  "poor  maids  and  other  ignorant  people 
who  came  to  them  for  advice."  ^ 

But  Evelyn's  **  Grand  Tour "  absorbs  our  first 
volume,  and  it  is  needless  here  to  do  more  than 
briefly  retrace  what  he  would  have  called  his 
itinerarium.  In  April,  1644,  after  a  short  ex- 
cursion into  Normandy,  he  set  out  for  Orleans. 
From  Orleans  he  went  on  to  Blois ;  from  Blois 
to  Tours,  where  he  stayed  five  months,  learning 
French  and  playing  pell-mell  in  the  "noblest 
Mall"  in  Europe.  Then  he  fared  southward  by 
Lyons  and  the  Rhone  to  Avignon,  and  so  to  Aix 
and  Marseilles.  From  Marseilles  and  its  galleys 
he  turned  his  face  eastward,  passing  from  Genoa 
through  Pisa,  Leghorn,  and  Florence  to  Rome. 
One  of  the  things  he  noted  on  the  Italian  coast 
was  the  scent  of  orange,  citron,  and  jasmine, 
floating  seaward  for  miles, — a  fragrant  memory 
afterwards  recalled  in  the  dedication  of  his 
Fuviifugiuvi}  At  Rome  he  stayed  seven  months, 
studying  antiquities  "very  pragmatically"  (by 
which  he  apparently  means  no  more  than  "  assidu- 
ously "  or  "  systematically  "),^  making  acquaintance 
with  the  more  reputable  English  residents,  visit- 
ing (as  was  his  wont)  churches  and  palaces,  and 
accumulating  books,  bustos,  pictures,  and  medals. 
Nor  did  his  restless  curiosity  neglect  the  tourna- 
ments, or  the  seances  of  the  Hum  ovist i, — the 
concerts  at  the  Chiesa  Nuova,  or  those  now  discon- 
tinued sermons  to  the  Jews  at  Ponte  Sisto  which 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  101.  -  Vol.  i.  p.  129. 

^  Vol.  i.  p.  154. 


INTRODUCTION  xxvii 

Browning  has  perpetuated  in  "  Holy  Cross  Day." 
Indeed,  in  the  last  case,  he  actually  stood  sponsor 
to  two  of  the  supposed  converts.  From  Rome  he 
travelled  by  Vesuvius  and  Baiae  to  Naples,  the 
ne  plus  ultra  of  his  wanderings,  "  since  from  the 
report  of  divers  experienced  and  curious  persons, 
he  had  been  assured  there  was  little  more  to  be 
seen  in  the  rest  of  the  civil  world,  after  Italy, 
France,  Flanders,  and  the  Low  Countries,  but 
plain  and  prodigious  barbarism."^  This  singular 
conclusion,  however,  did  not  prevent  his  planning 
later  to  start  for  the  Holy  Land,  to  which  end  he 
took  his  passage,  thoughtfully  laying  in  a  store  of 
drugs  and  needments  in  case  of  sickness.  But  the 
vessel  in  which  he  proposed  to  embark  was  pressed 
for  the  war  with  the  already  unspeakable  Turk, 
and  the  project  came  to  an  end.^ 

By  the  time  he  had  reached  Venice,  it  was  June 
1645  ;  and  between  Venice  and  Padua,  notwith- 
standing his  satiety  of  *'  rolling  up  and  down,"  he 
spent  much  of  his  time  until  the  spring  of  the  next 
year.  At  Venice,  where  he  narrowly  escaped  a 
serious  illness  from  an  imprudent  use  of  the  hot 
bath,  he  was  fortunate  enough  to  witness  the 
marriage  of  the  Doge  and  the  Adriatic  ;  and  he  was 
highly  diverted  by  the  humours  of  the  Carnival, 
the  nightingale  cages  in  the  Merceria,  and  the 
inordinate  chopines  and  variegated  tresses  of  the 
Venetian  ladies,  among  whom  he  must  have  made 
some  acquaintances,  since  he  relates  that,  when 
escorting  a  gentlewoman  to  her  gondola  after  a 
supper  at  the  English  Consul's,  he  was  honoured 
by  a  couple  of  musket -shots  from  another  boat 
containing  a  noble  Venetian,  whose  curtained 
privacy  he  was  unconsciously  deranging.^  At 
Padua,  where  he   had  a  sharp  attack   of  angina 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  240.  2  Vol.  i.  p.  298. 

3  Vol.  i.  p.  314. 
VOL.  I  c 


xxviii  INTRODUCTION 

pectoris,  he  attended  the  anatomical  lectures  of 
the  learned  Veshngius,  from  whom  he  purchased 
the  series  of  Tables  of  Veins  and  Arteries  later 
known  as  the  l^abulce  Eveliniance,  and  finally 
presented  by  him  to  the  Royal  Society.^  At 
Padua,  too,  he  was  elected  a  Syndic  us  Artis- 
tarum,  an  honour  he  declined  as  being  "  too  charge- 
able," as  well  as  a  hindrance  to  his  movements. 
Shortly  after  this  he  parted  from  that  nominis 
umbra  of  the  Memoirs,  his  "dear  friend  and  till 
now  constant  fellow-traveller,"  Mr.  Thicknesse, 
who  was  obliged  to  return  to  England.^ 

In  March,  1646,  Evelyn  himself  set  out  home- 
ward, in  company  with  Edmund  Waller,  the  poet, 
a  Mr.  Abdy,  and  a  Captain  (later  Sir  Christopher) 
Wray,  "  a  good  drinking  gentleman,"  who,  having, 
moreover,  fought  against  King  Charles,  was  not  a 
very  desirable  addition  to  a  sober  party.  At  JNIilan 
Evelyn's  enthusiasm  for  art  had  like  to  have  had 
grave  consequences,  for  venturing  too  far  into  the 
apartments  of  the  Governor,  he  ran  some  risk  of 
being  arrested  for  a  spy.^  Another  Milan  ex- 
perience was  actually  tragic.  Invited  with  his 
friends  to  visit  a  wealthy  Scotch  resident,  and  very 
hospitably  entertained,  the  host  subsequently  took 
his  guests  into  his  stable  to  exhibit  his  stud. 
Mounting  an  unbroken  horse,  when  somewhat 
flown  with  wine,  the  animal  fell  upon  him,  injuring 
him  so  severely  that  he  died  a  few  days  afterwards, 
a  sequel  which,  in  a  land  of  Inquisition,  had  the 
effect  of  precipitating  the  departure  of  the  travellers 
from  the  Lombard  capital.^  They  set  out  over  the 
Simplon,  **  through  strange,  horrid,  and  fearful  crags 
and  tracts,  abounding  in  pine  trees,  and  only  in- 
habited by  bears,  wolves,  and  wild  goats,"  to  Geneva. 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  315  ;  vol.  ii.  pp.  64-  and  284. 
2  Vol.  i.  p.  310.  '^  Vol.  i.  p.  3''Z6. 

4  Vol.  i.  pp.  3S\-3S. 


INTRODUCTION  xxix 

Here  Evelyn  visited  Giovanni  Deodati,  the  trans- 
lator of  tlie  Bible,  and  the  father  of  that  Charles 
Deodati  whose  premature  death  prompted  Milton's 
Epitapkiuvi  Davionis,  Then,  having  been  put  at 
Beveretta  (Bouveret)  into  a  bed  recently  vacated  by 
a  sick  girl,  he  contracted  or  developed  small-pox, 
which  kept  him  a  prisoner  to  his  chamber  for  five 
weeks.  His  Genevese  nurse  was  "a  vigilant  Swiss 
matron,"  with  a  goitre,  which,  when  he  occasionally 
woke  from  his  uneasy  slumbers,  had  a  most  por- 
tentous effect.  Not  long  afterwards,  he  set  out  down 
the  Rhone  in  a  boat  to  Lyons.  At  Roanne  the 
party  took  boat  again  ;  and  so  by  Nevers  to  Orleans* 
"Sometimes,  we  footed  it  through  pleasant  fields 
and  meadows ;  sometimes,  we  shot  at  fowls,  and 
other  birds ;  nothing  came  amiss :  sometimes,  we 
played  at  cards,  whilst  others  sung,  or  were  com- 
posing verses ;  for  we  had  the  great  poet,  Mr, 
Waller,  in  our  company,  and  some  other  ingenious 
persons."  ^  By  October  they  reached  Paris,  the  end 
of  their  pilgrimage,  which  had  occupied  Evelyn  three 
years.  His  expenses,  it  may  be  noted,  including 
tutors,  servants,  and  outlay  for  curios,  etc.,  averaged 
£300  per  annum.  This  is  rather  under  the  estimate 
of  the  judicious  Howell  r  but  it  must  be  remem- 
bered that,  in  1646,  £300  represented  a  good  deal 
more  than  it  does  now. 

Even  in  his  boyish  days — as  we  have  seen — 
"  gardens  and  curiosities  "  had  an  especial  attraction 
for  Evelyn  ;  and  gardens  and  curiosities,  if  not  the 
main  interest  of  his  foreign  travels,  continued  to 
engross  much  of  his  attention.  Statues  and 
pictures  and  antiquities  he  studies  carefully  and 
intelligently ;  but  his  real  enthusiasm  is  reserved 
for  those  things  to  which,  already  at  Wotton,  he 
had  manifested  that  inborn   bias  which   Emerson 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  352. 
2  Forreine  Travel,  l642,  Sect.  iv.     (See  also  vol.  iii.  p,  343  w.) 


XXX  INTRODUCTION 

regarded  as  the  chiefest  gift  of  Fortune.  For  scenery 
and  landscape,  except  when  conventionally  clipped 
and  combed,  he  really  cares  but  little.  Mountains 
to  him  are  terrifying  objects,  only  to  be  qualified 
by  highly  Latinised  adjectives.  He  must  always 
be  remembered  as  the  traveller  who  found  but 
"hideous  rocks"  and  "gloomy  precipices"  in  the 
Forest  of  Fontainebleau  ; — the  traveller  to  whom 
the  Alps  seemed  no  more  than  the  piled-up  sweep- 
ings of  the  Plain  of  Lombardy.  Had  he  lived  in 
Waverley's  day,  it  is  obvious  that  he  would  have 
preferred  the  grotesque  bears  and  pleached  ever- 
greens of  TuUy-Veolan  to  the  wildest  passes  in  the 
realm  of  Vich  Ian  Vohr.  But  let  him  come  across 
a  "  trim  garden  "  and  his  style  expands  like  a  sun- 
flower. He  is  "extraordinarily  delighted"  with  its 
geometric  formalities, — its  topiary  ingenuities, — its 
artless  surprises.  He  rejoices  in  the  "artificial  echo  " 
which,  when  "  some  fair  nymph  sings  to  its  grateful 
returns,"  redoubles  her  canorous  notes ;  in  the 
"spinning  basilisk"  that  flings  a  jetto  fifty  feet 
high  at  the  bidding  of  the  fountaineer ;  in  the 
"  extravagant  musketeers  "  who  deluge  the  passing 
stranger  with  streams  from  their  carbines ;  in  that 
"agreeable  cheat"  of  the  painted  Arch  of  Con- 
stantine  at  Rueil  against  which  birds  dash  them- 
selves to  death  in  the  attempt  to  fly  through.  He 
is  "infinitely  taken"  with  the  innumerable  pet 
tortoises  of  Gaston  of  Orleans ;  with  the  still  fish- 
ponds and  their  secular  carp ;  with  the  "  apiaries  " 
and  "  volaries  "  and  "  rupellary  nidaries  "  (for  water- 
fowl) ;  with  all  the  endless  "  labyrinths "  and 
"cryptas"  and  "perspectives," — the  avenues  and 
parterres  and  cascades  and  terraces,  which  the 
genius  of  Andre  le  Notre  had  contrived  to  match 
the  architecture  of  Mansard.  Of  these  things,  and 
of  that  horticulture  which  Bacon  calls  "  the  Purest 
of  Humane  pleasures,"  and  "  the  Greatest  Refresh- 


INTRODUCTION  xxxi 

ment  to  the  Spirits  of  Man,"  he  never  grows 
weary.  "  I  beseech  you  " — he  writes  later  to  one 
about  to  travel — "  I  beseech  you  forget  not  to 
inform  yourself  as  diligently  as  may  be,  in  things 
that  belong  to  Gardening,  for  that  will  serve  both 
yourself  and  your  friends  for  an  infinite  diversion."  ^ 
Here  speaks  the  coming  author  of  the  Kalendariuvi 
Hortense — the  projector  of  the  all-embracing  and 
never-to-be- completed  Elysium  Britannicum, 

This  practical  and  educational  aspect  of  the 
Grand  Tour  is  another  and  not  less  noteworthy 
feature  of  Evelyn's  Continental  journey ings.  For 
him  they  were  emphatically  means  to  an  end, — an 
end  of  graver  import  than  that  "  vanity  of  the  eye 
only,  which  to  other  travellers  has  usually  been  the 
temptation  of  making  tours."  ^  His  experiences 
correspond  almost  exactly  to  those  Wanderjahre 
with  which  the  apprentices  of  the  day  rounded  off 
their  apprenticeship,  only  in  Evelyn's  case  it  was 
an  apprenticeship  to  the  business  of  life.  He 
brought  back  none  of  those  "  foppish  fancies,  foolish 
guises  and  disguises,"  against  which  honest  Samuel 
Purchas  inveighs  in  the  "  Preface  "  to  his  Pilgiimes, 
On  the  contrary,  he  had  acted  entirely  in  the  spirit 
of  that  Omnia  explorate :  meliora  retinete  of  St. 
Paul,  which  he  had  chosen  for  his  motto.  He  had 
largely  increased  his  knowledge  of  foreign  tongues  ; 
he  had  made  no  mean  progress  in  natural  philo- 
sophy ;  he  had  learned  something  of  music  and 
drawing  ;  and  he  had  taken  "  much  agreeable  toil " 
among  ruins  and  antiquities,  and  "the  cabinets 
and  curiosities  of  the  virtuosi."  ^  Better  still,  he 
had  come  "to  know  men,  customs,  courts,  and 
disciplines,  and  whatsoever  superior  excellencies  the 
places  afford,  befitting  a  person  of  birth  and  noble 

1  Letter  to  Mr.  Maddox,  10th  Januan^  l657. 

2  Ibid, 
2  Letter  to  Thomas  Henshaw,  1st  March,  l698. 


xxxii  INTRODUCTION 

impressions."  The  quotation  may  be  continued, 
applying  the  words,  which,  though  not  written  of 
himself,  are  his,  to  his  own  case.  "This  is  the 
fruit  of  travel :  thus  our  incomparable  Sidney  was 
bred  ;  ^  and  this,  tanquavi  3Iinerva  Phidice,  sets  the 
crown  upon  his  perfections  when  a  gallant  man 
shall  return  with  religion  and  courage,  knowledge 
and  modesty,  without  pedantry,  without  affectation, 
material  and  serious,  to  the  contentment  of  his 
relations,  the  glory  of  his  family,  the  star  and 
ornament  of  his  age.  This  is  truly  to  give  a  citizen 
to  his  country."  ^ 

With  the  termination  of  his  Grand  Tour,  Evelyn 
ceased  to  be  what  he  calls  an  individuum  vaguvi. 
To  the  close  of  his  career  he  continued  to  recall 
with  pleasure  the  days  when  he  had  wandered 
abroad,  not  "to  count  steeples"  but  for  improve- 
ment. Yet,  though  he  more  than  once,  in  the 
next  few  years,  passed  between  London  and  Paris, 
he  never  again  visited  the  Continent  as  a  bona-fide 
traveller.  Meanwhile,  his  first  weeks  in  the  French 
capital  were  spent  idly  enough.  Like  Byron  at 
Venice,  however,  he  soon  found  the  want  of  "  some- 
thing craggy  to  break  his  mind  upon "  ;  and  he 
began  to  study  Spanish  and  High  Dutch,  both  of 
which  things  would  be  of  use  to  him  when,  later,  he 
came  to  write  the  History  of  the  second  war  with 

^  Sir  Philip  Sidney  was  a  distinguished  and  early  Grand 
Tourist,  having,  like  Evelyn,  his  permit  from  the  Crown.  In 
1572  Elizabeth  granted  to  "her  trusty  and  well-beloved  Philip 
Sidney,  Esq.,  to  go  out  of  England  into  parts  beyond  the  sea, 
with  three  servants  and  four  horses,  etc.,  to  remain  the  space 
of  two  years  immediately  following  his  departure  out  of  the 
realm,  for  the  obtaining  the  knowledge  of  foreign  languages  " 
(Symonds'  Sidiiey,  1886,  p.  23). 

2  Evelyn  to  Edward  Thurland,  8th  November,  1658.  He 
had  already  enlarged  upon  this  topic  in  the  ^'  Preface  "  to  the 
State  of  France,  l652. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxiii 

Holland.  He  also  "refreshed"  his  dandng,  and 
other  neglected  exercises  "not  in  much  reputation 
amongst  the  sober  Italians."  ^  He  frequented  the 
chemistry  course  of  M.  Nicasius  Lefevre,  afterwards 
apothecary  to  Charles  II.,  and  ("though  to  small 
perfection")  took  lessons  on  the  lute  from  Mercure.^ 
Finally — and  perhaps  consequently — he  fell  in  love, 
— the  lady  being  Mary,  sole  daughter  and  heiress 
of  the  English  Resident,  Sir  Richard  Browne.  She 
was  certainly  rather  young  (for  these  days),  if  her 
tombstone  at  Wotton  Church  correctly  describes 
her  as  in  her  seventy-fourth  year  in  1709,  which 
would  make  her  between  twelve  and  thirteen.  Be 
this  as  it  may,  they  were  married  at  the  chapel  of 
the  Embassy  on  Thursday,  the  27th  June,  1647, 
when  the  Paris  streets  were  gay  with  the  images  and 
flowers  and  tapestry  of  the  feast  of  Corpus  Christi.^ 
The  officiating  clergyman  was  Dr.  John  Earle  of 
the  Micro-cosmographie,  then  an  exile  for  his  ad- 
herence to  the  Stuarts.  The  union,  which  was  an 
entirely  happy  one,  lasted  for  more  than  fifty-eight 
years.  There  will  be  something  to  say  of  Mary 
Evelyn  hereafter.  It  is  only  needful  now  to  recall 
her  own  words  in  her  will,  when  she  desired  to  be 
laid  beside  the  husband  she  survived.  "  His  care 
of  my  education  " — she  says — "  was  such  as  might 
become  a  father,  a  lover,  a  friend,  and  husband ; 
for  instruction,  tenderness,  affection  &  fidelity  to 
the  last  moment  of  his  life;  which  obligation  I 
mention  with  a  gratitude  to  his  memory,  ever  dear 
to  me ;  and  I  must  not  omit  to  own  the  sense  I 
have  of  my  Parents'  care  &  goodness  in  placing 
me  in  such  worthy  hands."  * 

Not   long   after   his   marriage,   Evelyn's   affairs 
carried  him  to  England ;  and  in  October,  1647,  he 

1  Vol.  i.  p.  S52.  2  Vol.  ii.  p.  1. 

3  Vol.  ii.  p.  2. 

*  Memoirs  of  John  Evelyn ,  etc.,  1827,  iv.  444. 


xxxiv  INTRODUCTION 

left  his  young  wife  in  charge  of  her  "  prudent 
mother."  One  of  his  earhest  visits  was  to  King 
Charles,  then  the  prisoner  of  Cromwell  at  Hampton 
Court,  but,  as  Lucy  Hutchinson  reports,  "  rather  in 
the  condition  of  a  guarded  and  attended  prince,  than 
as  a  conquered  and  purchased  captive."^  Evelyn 
gave  the  King  an  account  of  "several  things  he 
had  in  charge"  —  doubtless  commissions  from 
Henrietta  JNIaria  and  Prince  Charles,  then  domi- 
ciled at  St.  Germain.  He  afterwards  went  to 
Sayes  Court,  a  house  on  the  Thames  at  Deptford 
leased  by  the  Crown  to  his  father-in-law,  and  at 
this  date  occupied,  in  Sir  Richard's  absence,  by 
his  kinsman,  William  Pretyman.^  At  Sayes  Court 
Evelyn  appears  to  have  stayed  frequently,^  and  in 
January,  1649,  took  up  his  residence  there.^  Most 
of  the  intervening  months  of  1648  must  have  been 
occupied  by  a  rather  hazardous  correspondence  in 
cypher  wdth  Browne  at  Paris,  carried  on  over  the 
signature  of  "  Aplanos."  ^  In  January,  1649,  too, 
he  published  his  first  book,  a  translation  of  the 
Liberty  and  Sei^vitude  of  Moliere's  friend,  Francois 
de  La  Clothe  Le  Vayer,  for  the  Preface  of  which  (he 
says)  *'  I  was  severely  threatened."  ^  The  peccant 
passages  in  the  eyes  of  the  authorities  were  doubt- 
less those  which  declared  that  "never  was  there 
either  heard  or  read  of  a  more  equal  and  excellent 
form  of  government  than  that  under  w"^^'  we  our- 
selves have  lived,  during  the  reign  of  our  most 
gratious  Soveraigne's  Halcion  dales,"  and  with  this 
was  contrasted  ''that  impious  hnpostoria  pila,  so 
frequently  of  late  exhibited  and  held  forth  to  the 
people,   whilst   (in   the  meane  time)   indeed,   it  is 

^  Memoirs  of  Colonel  Hutchinson,  1868,  p.  305.  See  also  vol. 
ii.  p.  3,  etc.      '  2  Vol   jj,  p.  3. 

^  Letters  of  "  Aplanos  "  (see  note  5)  to  Sir  Richard  Browne, 
21st  April  and  18th  December,  l648. 

^  Vol.  ii.  p.  7.  •'  Vol.  ii.  p.  10.  ^  Vol.  ii.  p.  8. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxv 

thrown  into  the  hands  of  a  few  private  persons." 
The  book  was  issued  only  a  day  or  two  before  **  his 
INIajestys  decollation"  (30th  January,  1649),'  of 
which  "  execrable  wickedness "  Evelyn  could  not 
bring  himself  to  become  an  eye-witness.^ 

Among  the  collateral  results  of  the  King's  death 
was  the  seizure  as  Crown  property  of  Sayes  Court, 
to  be  forthwith  surveyed  and  sold  for  state  require- 
ments. These  things  must  have  been  in  progress 
when,  in  July  1649,  after  an  absence  in  England 
of  a  year  and  a  half,  Evelyn  returned  to  Paris. 
He  was  well  received  by  the  members  of  the  exiled 
royal  family,  and  appears  to  have  been  on  terms 
of  intimacy  with  Clarendon  (then  Sir  Edward 
Hyde),  Ormonde,  Newcastle,  St.  Albans,  Waller, 
Hobbes,  Denham,  and  most  of  the  illustrious 
fugitives  assembled  at  St.  Germain.  Perhaps  the 
most  interesting  event  of  this  not  very  eventful 
period  in  Evelyn's  biography  was  his  connection 
with  the  artist,  Robert  Nanteliil,  w^ho  drew  and 
engraved  the  portrait  which  forms  the  frontispiece 
to  this  volume ;  and  from  whom  he  took  lessons 
in  etching  and  engraving.  Nanteiiil's  picture  re- 
presents him  in  his  younger  days,  with  loose 
Cavalier  locks  hanging  about  a  grave,  pensive  face, 
and  with  his  cloak  worn  "bawdrike-wise" — as 
Montaigne  says.  In  the  summer  of  1650  he  paid 
a  brief  visit  to  England,  again  for  affairs,  returning 
speedily  to  Paris.  After  Cromwell's  "  crowning 
mercy"  of  Worcester,  any  change  for  the  better 
seeming  out  of  the  question,  he  decided  to  settle 
in  England  ;  and  if  practicable,  endeavour  to  arrive 
at  some  arrangement  with  the  existing  possessors  of 
Sayes  Court.  In  this  course  he  had  both  the  con- 
currence of  his  father-in-law  and  the  countenance 
of  his  accessible  Majesty  Charles  II.,  who  promised, 

^  Miscellaneouji  Writings,  1825,  pp.  3,  5,  6. 
2  Vol.  ii.  p.  8. 


xxxvi  INTRODUCTION 

whenever  the  ways  were  open,  to  secure  to  him 
in  fee-farm  any  part  of  the  property  which  might 
come  back  to  the  Crown, — a  promise  which,  it 
is  perhaps  needless  to  add,  was  not  performed. 
But  as  the  outcome  of  EA^elyn's  negotiations,  he 
eventually  acquired  possession  of  Sayes  Court  and 
some  adjoining  lands  for  £3500,  the  "sealing, 
livery  and  seisin"  being  effected  on  the  22nd 
February,  1653.^  Already  he  had  begun  to  plant 
and  lay  out  the  grounds ;  and  for  some  years  his 
records  contain  dispersed  references  to  the  gradual 
transformation  of  what  had  been  a  rude  orchard 
and  field  of  a  hundred  acres  into  that  eminently 
"boscaresque"  combination  of  garden,  walks,  groves, 
enclosures,  and  plantations,  which  so  soon  became 
the  admiration  of  the  neighbourhood.^ 

In  June,  1652,  Evelyn  was  at  last  joined  by 
his  wife,  who,  accompanied  by  her  mother.  Lady 
Browne,  arrived  from  Paris,  not  without  appre- 
hensions of  capture  by  the  Dutch  fleet,  then 
hovering  near  our  coasts.  After  being  three  days 
at  sea,  she  landed  at  Rye ;  and  Evelyn  promptly 
established  her  at  Tunbridge,  to  careen  ;  ^  while  he 

1  Vol.  ii.  pp.  52  and  60 

2  "  The  hithermost  Grove  " — says  a  manuscript  at  Wotton 
House — "I  planted  about  l656  ;  the  other  beyond  it,  I66O  ;  the 
lower  Grove,  1662  ;  the  holly  hedge  even  with  the  Mount  hedge 
below,  1670.  I  planted  every  hedge,  and  tree  not  onely  in  the 
gardens,  groves^  etc.,  but  about  all  the  fields  and  house  since 
1653,  except  those  large,  old  and  hollow  elms  in  the  stable  court 
and  next  the  sewer ;  for  it  was  before,  all  one  pasture  field  to 
the  very  garden  of  the  house,  which  was  but  small ;  from  which 
time  also  I  repaired  the  ruined  house,  and  built  the  whole 
of  the  kitchen,  the  chapel,  buttry,  my  study,  above  and  below, 
cellars  and  all  the  outhouses  and  walls,  still-house,  orangerie, 
and  made  the  gardens,  etc.,  to  my  great  cost,  and  better  I  had 
don  to  have  pulled  all  down  at  first,  but  it  was  don  at  several 
times"  (Memoirs  of  John  Evelyn,  1827,  iv.  418). 

2  And  once  in  seven  years  I'm  seen 
At  Bath  or  Tunbridge,  to  careen. 

Green's  Spleen. 


INTRODUCTION  xxxvii 

himself  hastened  forward  to  prepare  Sayes  Court 
for  her  reception.  It  was  on  his  way  thither  that 
he  was  robbed  at  the  Procession  Oak  near  Bromley, 
in  the  way  recounted  in  the  Diary}  In  the  follow- 
ing autumn  Lady  Browne  died  of  scarlet  fever, 
and  was  buried  at  St.  Nicholas,  Deptford.  From 
this  time  forth,  after  carrying  his  wife  upon  a 
long  round  of  visits  among  her  relatives,  Evelyn 
remained  quietly  at  home,  developing  and  im- 
proving his  estate ;  occupying  himself  in  study  and 
meditation  ;  and  diligently  practising  such  religious 
exercises  as  were  possible  in  days  when  the  parish 
pulpits,  for  the  most  part,  were  given  over  to 
*'  Independents  and  fanatics,"  and  the  Prayer  Book 
and  Sacraments  were  proscribed.^  Four  sons  were 
born  to  him  at  this  period,^  of  whom  one  only, 
John,  survived  childhood.  The  eldest,  Richard, 
a  "  dearest,  strangest  miracle  of  a  boy,"  as  he  is 
styled  by  Jeremy  Taylor,  died  in  January,  1658, 
to  the  inexpressible  grief  of  his  parents.  Of  his 
extraordinary  gifts  and  precocity  at  five  years  old, 
an  ample  account  is  given  in  the  Diai^ij,  as  well  as 
in  the  "  Epistle  Dedicatory  "  to  the  Golden  Book 
of  St.  John  Chrysostom,  concerning  the  Education 
of  Children^  in  translating  which  the  bereaved 
father  sought  consolation  for  his  loss.^  This  was 
the  period  of  Evelyn's  friendship  for  Jeremy 
Taylor,  to  whose  eloquent  periods  "concerning 
evangelical  perfection  "  he  had  listened  admiringly 
at  St.  Gregory's,  and  whom  he  had  subsequently 

1  Vol.  ii.  pp.  58-60.    » 

2  Vol.  ii.  pp.  10,  53,  99,  and  105.  Of  some  of  the  difficulties 
besetting  the  seventeenth  -  century  "passive  resister"  Evelyn 
gives  a  graphic  picture  in  the  episode  at  Exeter  Chapel,  vol.  ii. 
pp.  125-27.  But  there  must  have  been  exceptions,  for  he  admits 
that,  at  St.  Gregory's,  "  the  ruling  Powers  connived  at  the  use 
of  the  Liturgy,  etc."  (vol.  ii.  p.  101). 

3  Vol.  ii.  pp.  62,  68,  100,  and  121. 

4  Vol.  ii.  p.  134. 


xxxviii  INTRODUCTION 

taken  to  be  his  "ghostly  father."^  Many  of  the 
letters  which  passed  between  them  at  this  date 
are  of  the  highest  interest  as  throwing  hght  upon 
Evelyn's  devout  and  serious  nature ;  and  there  is 
little  doubt  that  his  sympathy  and  pecuniary 
assistance^  were  freely  bestowed  upon  Taylor  in 
those  troublous  days,  when,  in  the  Preface  to  The 
Golden  Grove,  he  praised  "Episcopal  Government," 
and  denounced  the  "impertinent  and  ignorant 
preachers"  who  filled  the  pulpits  of  the  Parliament.^ 
The  version  of  St.  Chrysostom  above  referred 
to  was  by  no  means  Evelyn's  only  literary  pro- 
duction before  the  Restoration.  Early  in  1652, 
he  had  published  a  letter  to  a  friend  on  The  State 
of  France,  prefaced  by  some  excellent  remarks 
and  suggestions  concerning  the  uses  of  foreign 
travel ;  and  giving  a  minute  account  of  that  country 
in  the  ninth  year  of  the  reign  of  Louis  XIV. 
Professedly,  it  is  a  conventional  record  of  the  kind 
which  all  visitors  to  the  Continent  were  exhorted 
by  their  Governors  to  compile ;  but  it  is  excep- 
tionally concise  and  careful.  In  1656  this  was 
succeeded  by  a  translation,  "  to  charm  his  anxious 
thoughts  during  those  sad  and  calamitous  times,"  of 
the  first  book  of  Lucretius'  JDe  Rerum  Natura, — a 
task  at  first  not  wholly  to  the  taste  of  his  "  ghostly 
father,"  who,  lest  the  work  should  "minister  in- 
directly to  error,"  enjoined  him  to  supply  "a 
sufficient  antidote "  either  by  notes  or  preface. 
For  the  Lucretius,  Mrs.  Evelyn,  who  was  a  pretty 
artist,  designed  a  frontispiece,  which  Hollar  en- 
graved.^    The  Chrysostom,  which  came  next,  was 

1  Vol.  ii.  pp.  71,  101. 

2  Letter  to  Jeremy  Taylor,  9th  May,  l657,  and  of  Taylor  to 
Evelyn,  3rd  November,  l659. 

2  Gosse's  Jeremy  Taylor,  1904,  pp.  Ill,  113. 

*  Vol.  ii.  p.  111.  Evelyn  never  pursued  this  task,  though 
Taylor  seems  to  have  afterwards  encouraged  him  to  do  so. 
On    one  of  his  ^'^ ghostly  father's"   letters  to  this  effect  (15th 


INTRODUCTION  xxxix 

followed  in  December,  1658,^  by  another  trans- 
lation, undertaken  at  the  instance  of  Evelyn's  old 
travelling  companion,  Henshaw,  of  the  French 
Gardener  of  Bonnefons.  From  references  in  the 
**  Dedication  "  to  future  treatment  by  its  writer  of 
the  "  appendices  to  gardens  "  {Le.  parterres,  grots, 
fountains,  and  so  forth),  it  is  plain  that  the 
"  hortulan  "  proprietor  of  Sayes  Court  was  already 
incubating  the  Elysium  Britaniiicum.'^  Mean- 
while, he  bids  his  friend  call  to  mind  the  rescript 
of  Diocletian^  to  those  who  would  persuade 
him  to  re-assume  the  empire.  "For  it  is  im- 
possible that  he  v/ho  is  a  true  virtuoso,  and 
has  attained  to  the  felicity  of  being  a  good 
gardener,  should  give  jealousie  to  the  State  where 
he  lives."  ^ 

The   French   Gardener  went  through   several 

September,  1606),  he  wrote  in  pencil,  "I  would  be  none  of  y* 
higenio.si  inalo publico"  (see  also  letter  to  Meric  Casaubon,  15th 
July,  1674). 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  137. 

2  See  Appendix  VII.  vol.  iii.  pp.  378-80. 

3  Cowley  works  this  rescript  into  the  closing  strophe  of  The 
Garden,  which  he  addressed  to  Evelyn  from  Chertsey  in  August, 
1666:— 

Methinks  I  see  great  Dioclesian  walk 
111  the  Salonian  gardens  noble  shade, 
\ych  |jy  }jjg  Qy^rii  Imperial  hands  was  made  : 
I  see  him  smile,  meethinks,  as  hee  does  talk 
W*^  the  Ambassadours  who  come  in  vain 

T'entice  him  to  a  throne  again  : 
If  I,  my  friends  (said  hee)  should  to  you  show 
All  the  contents  which  in  this  garden  grow, 
'Tis  likelier  much  y*  you  should  with  mee  stay. 
Then  'tis  y*  you  should  carry  mee  away : 
And  trust  mee  not,  my  friends,  if  every  day 

I  walk  not  here  witli  more  delight 
Than  ever,  after  the  most  happy  fight. 
In  triumph  to  the  Capitol  I  rod. 
To  thank  y*=  Gods,  and  to  bee  thought,  my  self  almost  a  God. 

Upcott,  who  prints  this  piece  at  pp.  435-42  of  the  Miscellaneous 
PVritifigs,  claims  to  have  carefully  corrected  it  from  an  original 
manuscript  of  Cowley,  given  to  him  by  Lady  Evelyn. 

^  Miscellaneoiis  W?itings,  1825,  p.  98. 


xl  INTRODUCTION 

editions.  After  this  came,  in  1659,  a  tract  entitled 
A  Character  of  England,  purporting  to  be  trans- 
lated from  the  French  of  a  recent  visitor  to  this 
country.  In  this  Evelyn  briskly  "  perstringes " 
some  of  the  national  shortcomings, — the  discourtesy 
to  strangers,  the  familiarity  of  the  innkeepers,  the 
"  inartificial  congestion  "  of  the  houses,  the  irregu- 
larities of  public  worship,  the  fogs,  the  drinking,  the 
cards,  the  tedium  of  visits  and  the  lack  of  ceremony, 
to  some  of  which  things  we  shall  find  him  afterwards 
return.^  A  Character  of  England  was  promptly 
replied  to,  with  many  "  sordid  reproaches  "  of  the 
supposed  foreign  critic,  in  a  scurrilous  pamphlet 
entitled  Gallus  Castratus,  To  this  impertinent 
"whiffler"  Evelyn  rejoined  in  a  brief  vindicatory 
letter  prefixed  to  his  third  edition.  But  whatever 
may  be  thought  as  to  the  justice  or  injustice  of 
his  strictures,  it  is  notable  that  they  were,  in  some 
measure,  reiterated,  not  many  years  afterwards, 
by  a  genuine  French  traveller,  M.  Samuel  de 
Sorbieres,^  who,  in  his  turn,  was  angrily  assailed 
by  Sprat. 

Evelyn's  vindication  is  dated  24th  June,  1659  ; 
and  his  next  notable,  though  unpublished,  utterance 
was  a  proposal  embodied  in  a  letter  to  the  Hon. 
Robert  Boyle,  for  erecting  "a  philosophic  and 
mathematic  college."^  This  was  written  in  the 
following  September.  By  this  date  Cromwell 
was  dead  and  buried ;  his  colourless  successor  had 
been  displaced ;  and  the  Restoration  was  within 
measurable  distance.  Evelyn's  further  literary 
efforts  were  frankly  royalist.  The  first,  issued  in 
November,   1659,  was  what  he  himself  styles  "a 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  156,  and  pp.  53,  66,  and  72,  etc. 

2  Sorbieres  visited  England  in  l663.  M.  Jusserand  has 
given  a  delightful  account  of  him  in  his  English  Essays  from  a 
French  Pen,  1895,  pp.  158-92.  Evelyn,  who  did  not  like  him, 
wrote  to  Sprat  about  him  on  the  31st  October,  1664-. 

^  See  vol.  ii.  Appendix  III. 


INTRODUCTION  xli 

bold  Apology''  for  the  Royal  Party/  It  met  with 
such  success  that  a  second  and  third  edition  were 
called  for  within  the  year.  The  second  belongs  to 
the  Annus  Mirabilis  itself  It  was  an  indignant 
retort,  composed  under  great  disadvantages,  for 
the  writer  was  at  the  time  seriously  unwell,  to  a 
calumnious  pamphlet  by  Marchamont  Needham, 
called  Neivs  from  Bi^ussels,  in  which  it  was  suggested 
that  the  exiled  monarch  and  his  adherents  were 
animated  solely  by  a  desire  to  avenge  their  wrongs. 
Evelyn  had  little  difficulty  in  refuting  this  slander,^ 
which  was,  moreover,  contradicted  by  the  Declara- 
tion of  Breda,  and  the  express  assurances  of  the 
leading  royalists  that  they  were  "  satisfied  to  bury 
all  past  injuries  in  the  joy  of  the  happy  restoration 
of  the  King,  Laws,  and  Constitution."  In  a  few 
weeks  the  consummation  so  devoutly  wished  had 
been  attained.  Evelyn  was  still  too  ill  to  go  him- 
self to  Holland  to  bring  the  King  back,  as  he  had 
been  invited  to  do.  But  on  the  triumphant  29th 
of  May,  he  stood  in  the  Strand,  and  blessed  God 
for  the  return  of  Charles  II.  to  the  throne  of  his 
ancestors.^ 

To  those  acquainted  with  the  history  of  the 
next  quarter  of  a  century,  the  enthusiasm  of  such 
a  man  as  John  Evelyn  for  such  a  monarch  as 
Charles  the  Second  must  seem  strange.  But, 
apart  from  the  benefits  which  the  Restoration 
brought  and  promised  to  those  who  had  groaned 
under  the  regime  of  the  Commonwealth,  it  must 
be  remembered  that  the  Charles  of  May,  1660,  was 
not  precisely  the  Charles  who  died  at  St.  James's 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  140. 

2  The  late  News  from  Brussels  unmasked,  and  His  Majesty 
vindicated  from  the  base  Calumny  and  Scandal  therein  fixed  on  him 
{Miscellaneous  Writings,  1825,  pp.  193-204.  See  also  vol.  ii, 
p.  144). 

3  Vol.  ii.  p.  145. 


xlii  INTRODUCTION 

— "victim  of  his  own  vices" — in  February,  1685. 
He  had  borne  himself  in  exile  and  adversity  not 
without  a  certain  dignity ;  if  he  was  as  profligate 
as  those  about  him,  his  profligacy  had  not  been 
openly  scandalous ;  and  he  had  conspicuously,  at 
all  times,  the  facile  bonhomie  of  the  Stuarts. 
His  love  of  pleasure  had  not  yet  absorbed  the 
faculties  which  disappeared  with  the  paralysis 
of  his  will-power.  To  Evelyn,  who  had  known 
him  at  St.  Germain,  many  of  his  tastes  were 
congenial.  Like  Evelyn  himself,  he  possessed 
much  of  what  Taine  calls  "  la  flottante  et  inventive 
curiosite  du  siecle''  He  affected  the  easier  and 
more  mechanical  mathematics ;  he  dabbled  in 
chemistry,  anatomy,  astronomy ;  he  was  deeply 
learned  in  shipping  and  sea  affairs ;  he  collected 
paintings,  miniatures,  ivories,  and  Japan-ware  ;  and 
he  delighted  in  planting  and  building.  All  these 
things  were  attractive  to  Evelyn,  who  was  only 
too  willing  to  be  consulted  concerning  a  fresh  plan 
for  reconstructing  Whitehall  (when  funds  were 
forthcoming)  ;  or  to  develop  his  own  proposals  for 
dispersing  the  ever-increasing  smoke  of  London. 
With  most  good  men,  he  lamented  the  gradual 
deterioration  of  Charles's  character ;  and  he 
detested  alike  the  parasites  who  fostered  his 
baser  humours,  and  the  shameless  women  who 
ministered  to  his  lust.  Yet — "reverencing  king's 
blood  in  a  bad  man  " — he  never  entirely  relinquished 
his  first  impressions.  "  He  was  ever  kind  to  me," 
he  writes  in  1685,  "and  very  gracious  upon  all 
occasions,  and  therefore  I  cannot,  without  ingrati- 
tude, but  deplore  his  loss,  which  for  many  respects, 
as  well  as  duty,  I  do  with  all  my  soul."  ^ 

1  Seven  years  later  this  feeling  was  still  strong.  Commenting 
upon  the  disregard,  under  William  and  Mary,  of  Restoration 
Day,  he  ^vrites,  "There  was  no  notice  taken  of  it,  nor  any 
part  of  the  office  annexed  to  the  Common   Prayer-Book  made 


INTRODUCTION  xliii 

For  the  moment,  however,  —  the  hopeful 
moment  of  May,  1660, — all  was  promise  and  rosy 
expectation.  His  Majesty  was  very  affable  to  his 
"  old  acquaintance,"  Mr.  Evelyn ;  and  he  was 
particularly  attentive  to  Mrs.  Evelyn,  whom,  as 
the  daughter  of  the  English  Resident,  he  must  also 
have  known  at  Paris.  He  was  good  enough  to 
accept  politely  a  picture  she  painted  for  him,  and 
he  carried  her  into  his  private  closet  to  show  her 
his  curiosities.  He  even  talked  vaguely  of  making 
her  Lady  of  the  Jewels  to  the  new  Queen  who 
was  coming  from  Portugal.  Evelyn  himself  might 
have  had  the  Bath ;  but  he  refused  it.  He  did^ 
however,  obtain,  though  not  altogether  in  the  form 
he  had  been  led  to  expect  it  (this  was  a  not  un- 
frequent  characteristic  of  His  Majesty's  benefac- 
tions), a  lease  of  Sayes  Court,  which  now  reverted  to 
the  Crown. ^  It  is  clear  that  the  King,  who  piqued 
himself  on  his  knowledge  of  character,  saw  at  once 
that  John  Evelyn,  Esquire,  though  *'a  studious 
decliner  of  honours  and  titles,"  was  a  man  likely 
to  be  useful  in  many  extra-Court  capacities.  He 
speedily  employed  him  in  drawing  up  an  '*  impartial 
narrative"  of  an  affray  between  the  French  and 
Spanish  Ambassadors  on  a  question  of  precedence  ; 
he  placed  him  on  different  Commissions, — Chari- 
table Uses,  Street  Improvement,  and  the  like ;  and 
finally,  he  nominated  him  a  Member  of  the  Council 
of  that  Royal  Society,  the  founding  of  which,  in 
1662,^  must  always  be  regarded — in  spite  of 
Rochester's  epigram — as  an  eminently  "  wise  "  act 
on  His  Majesty's  part.  With  this  illustrious  body 
Evelyn  had  been  identified  from  its  infancy  as  a 
Philosophic  Club  under  the  Commonwealth ;   and 

use  of,  which  I  think  was  ill  done,  in  regard  his  [King  Charles's] 
restoration  not  only  redeemed  us  from  anarchy  and  confusion, 
but  restored  the  Church  of  England,  as  it  were  miraculously  " 
(vol.  iii.  p.  295). 

^  See  ante,  p.  xxxv.  2  Vol.  ii.  p.  157. 

VOL.  I  d 


xliv  INTRODUCTION 

he  continued  to  take  an  interest  in  its  proceedings 
to  the  end  of  his  life. 

More  than  one  of  the  works  which  he  produced 
in  the  next  few  years  were  connected  directly  or 
indirectly  with  the  new  institution.  After  the 
regulation  Poem  on  His  3Iajestys  Coi^onation^ 
(concerning  which  "Panegyric"  we  are  told  that 
the  King  inquired  nervously,  first,  whether  it  was 
in  Latin,  and,  secondly,  whether  it  was  long), 
Evelyn  inscribed  to  Charles  his  already-mentioned 
treatise  called  Fwnifugiuvi ;  or,  the  Inconvenience 
of  the  Air  and  Smoke  of  London  dissipated,  in 
which  various  ingenious  expedients  were  suggested 
for  the  remedy  of  an  evil  not  yet  wholly  removed.- 
This  was  a  subject  entirely  within  the  purview  of 
the  Royal  Society ;  but  it  unfortunately  appeared 
before  that  body  had  been  constituted  by  Charter. 
In  the  "  Epistle  Dedicatory "  to  his  next  produc- 
tion, a  version  of  Gabriel  Naude's  Avis  ponr 
dresser  une  Bibliotheque,^  a  work  which  candid  Mr. 
Pepys  considered  to  be  "above  my  reach,"  Evelyn 
paid  a  glowing  tribute  to  his  new  associates,  receiv- 
ing their  public  thanks  in  return.  The  "Naudaeus" 
was  succeeded  by  "a  little  trifle  of  sumptuary 
laws,"  entitled  Tyr annus  or  the  Mode.  This  he 
seems  to  have  regarded  as  the  initial  cause  of  that 
Persian  costume,  in  which,  a  few  years  later,  the 
English  court  amused  themselves  by  masquerading, 
until  the  '' Roi-Soleil^'  by  a  sublime  stroke  of 
impertinence,  put  his  lacqueys  into  a  similar  livery, 
and  thus  gave  "]\Ir.  Spectator,"  in  the  next  age, 
the  pretext  for  his  excellent  fable  of  "  Brunetta 
andPhillis."'' 

None  of  Evelyn's  efforts  had,  however,  so  close 
a  connection  with  the  Royal  Society  as  the  two 
which  now  followed  ;  and  they  are,  in  some  respects, 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  167.  2  Vol.  ii.  p.  172. 

3  Vol.  ii.  pp.  178,  179.  "  Vol.  ii.  pp.  180,  262-63. 


INTRODUCTION  xlv 

his  most  important  performances.  One,  Sculptura; 
07\  the  History  and  Art  of  Chalcography^  1662  ^ 
(which  included  an  account  of  the  so-called  "  new 
Manner "  of  engraving  in  mezzotint,  learned  by 
Prince  Rupert  from  Ludwig  von  Siegen),  was 
suggested  by  Boyle,  to  whom  it  was  inscribed. 
In  this  Evelyn  combined  what  he  had  acquired 
from  Nanteiiil  and  Abraham  Bosse  with  much 
that  was  the  result  of  his  own  minute  and  learned 
study  of  the  graphic  arts.  The  other  book,  Sylva, 
is  so  generally  regarded  as  his  masterpiece  that 
it  is  frequently  used  by  his  descendants  as  an 
adjective  to  qualify  his  surname.  It  originated  in 
a  number  of  queries  put  to  the  Royal  Society  by 
the  Commissioners  of  the  Navy  respecting  the 
future  supply  of  timber  for  ship-building.  To 
these  Evelyn  replied  elaborately  in  October,  1662, 
by  reading  before  the  Society  a  paper  on  forest 
trees,  of  which  they  forthwith  ordered  the  printing 
as  their  first  official  issue.  In  1664,  it  duly 
appeared  in  expanded  form  ;  and  its  author  con- 
tinued to  retouch  it  lovingly  in  different  fresh 
editions.  He  had,  moreover,  the  satisfaction  of 
seeing  that  the  "sensible  and  notorious  decay" 
of  his  beloved  country's  "  wooden  walls  "  was  in  a 
measure  arrested  by  his  recommendations,  for  his 
book  was  thoroughly  successful  in  its  object ;  and 
there  was  no  exaggeration  on  the  part  of  the  elder 
Disraeli,  when,  in  an  oft-quoted  passage,  he  de- 
clared that  Nelson's  fleets  were  built  from  the 
oaks  that  Evelyn  planted.  To  Sylva,  in  its  printed 
form,  its  author  added  Pomona,  an  Appendix 
on  Cider,  together  with  a  Kalendarium  Hortense  ; 
or.  Gardener s  Almanach}  His  only  remaining 
effort  of  any  moment  at  this  date  was  a  translation 
of  Roland  Freart's  Parallel  of  the  Ancient  Architec- 
ture with  the  Modern,  1664,  a  work  in  which,  as 

1  Vol.  ii.  pp.  158,  188.  2  Vol.  ii.  pp.  195,  208,  303. 


xlvi  INTRODUCTION 

may  perhaps  be  guessed,  the  claims  of  the  Ancients 
were  not  miderrated  either  by  author  or  translator/ 
The  Parallel  was  dedicated  first  to  the  King,  and 
secondly  (although  Evelyn  privately  held  him  to 
be  "  a  better  poet  than  architect ")  ^  to  Sir  John 
Denham  of  Coopers  Hill,  then  Superintendent  and 
Surveyor  of  the  Crown  Buildings  and  Works. 
To  this  book  Evelyn  probably  owed  his  subsequent 
appointment  as  Commissioner  for  the  repair  of 
Old  St.  Paul's.^  But  his  next  important  function 
of  this  kind  was  in  connection  with  the  care  of  the 
Sick  and  Wounded  during  the  Dutch  War/ 

Of  Evelyn's  activity  in  his  responsible  task ;  of 
its  onerous  character  (for  most  of  the  work  fell  on 
his  district) ;  ^  and  of  the  difficulty  of  obtaining  the 
needful  supplies  from  an  Exchequer  depleted  by 
Royal  extravagance,  the  Diai^y  affords  abundant 
proof.  But  to  the  biographer,  seeking  the  indi- 
vidual behind  the  record,  perhaps  the  most  interest- 
ing thing  about  this  office  is,  that  it  brought  Evelyn 
into  relations  with  his  fellow-diarist,  Pepys.  Of 
Pepys,  during  the  ten  years  over  which  his  Diary 
extends,  Evelyn  says  never  a  word.  But  Pepys,  on 
the  contrary,  mentions  Evelyn  several  times,  with 
the  result  that  we  get  a  view  of  Evelyn  which  his 
own  chronicle  does  not  supply.  Pepys'  first  refer- 
ence is  on  the  5th  May,  1665 — a  memorable  day, 
for  Pepys  had  left  off  wearing  his  own  hair,  and 
taken  permanently  to  periwigs.  He  visited  Sayes 
Court,  the  owner  being  absent,  and  walked  in  the 
garden.  "And  a  very  noble,  lovely  ground  he 
bath  indeed  ! "  writes  Pepys,  admiring  in  particular 
the  *'  transparent  apiary "  or  bee-hive  which  had 
come  from  that  ingenious  F.R.S.,  Dr.  Wilkins  of 
Wadham  College.^      Then  he  meets  Mr.  Evelyn 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  214.  2  Vol.  ii.  p.  176. 

3  Vol.  ii.  p.  250.  4  Vol.  ii.  p.  218. 

^  Kent  and  Sussex.     Cp.  vol.  ii.  p.  S^s^.  ^  Vol.  ii.  p.  79- 


INTRODUCTION  xlvii 

at  Captain  Cocke's  (Captain  Cocke  was  the 
Treasurer  to  the  Commissioners  for  the  Sick  and 
"Wounded),  and  we  see  Evelyn  en  belle  humeur. 
Lord  Sandwich  has  taken  some  East  India  prizes. 
"  The  receipt  of  this  news  did  put  us  all  into  such 
an  ecstasy  of  joy,  that  it  inspired  into  Sir  J. 
JNIinnes  and  Mr.  Evelyn  such  a  spirit  of  mirth, 
that  in  all  my  life  I  never  met  with  so  merry  a 
two  hours  as  our  company  this  night  was."  Sir 
J.  JNIinnes,  it  seems,  was  a  chartered  farceur ;  but 
he  was  surpassed  by  Evelyn.  "  Among  other 
humours,  Mr.  Evelyn's  repeating  of  some  verses 
made  up  of  nothing  but  the  various  acceptations  of 
may  and  can,  and  doing  it  so  aptly  upon  occasion 
of  something  of  that  nature,  and  so  fast,  did  make 
us  all  die  almost  with  laughing,  and  did  so  stop  the 
mouth  of  Sir  J.  Minnes  in  the  middle  of  all  his 
mirth  (and  in  a  thing  agreeing  with  his  own 
manner  of  genius)  that  I  never  saw  any  man  so 
out -done  in  all  my  life ;  and  Sir  J.  Minnes's 
mirth  too  to  see  himself  out-done,  was  the  crown 
of  all  our  mirth."  ^ 

After  this,  as  might  be  anticipated,  Pepys 
received  a  complimentary  copy  of  that  Naudeeus 
which  he  found  above  his  reach.  He  goes  to 
Sayes  Court  again,  and  is  shown  the  famous  holly- 
hedge,  later  so  wantonly  maltreated  by  Peter  the 
Great. ^  But  his  account  of  a  subsequent  visit  is 
fuller  and  more  personal  in  its  portraiture ; — "  By 
water  to  Deptford,  and  there  made  a  visit  to  Mr. 
Evelyn,  who,  among  other  things,  showed  me 
most  excellent  painting  in  little ;  in  distemper, 
in  Indian  ink,  water-colours ;  graving ;  and,  above 
all,  the  whole  secret  of  mezzotinto,  and  the  manner 
of  it,  which  is  very  pretty,^  and  good  things  done 

1  Pepys'  Diary,  10th  September,  l665. 

2  Ibid.  5th  October,  l665  ;  and  vol.  iii.  p.  S36, 

3  Vol.  ii.  p.  188. 


xlviii  INTRODUCTION 

with  it.  He  read  to  me  very  much  also  of  his 
discourse,  he  hath  been  many  years  and  now  is 
about,  about  Gardenage ;  ^  which  will  be  a  most 
noble  and  pleasant  piece.  He  read  me  part  of  a 
play  or  two  of  his  making,  very  good,  but  not  as 
he  conceits  them,  I  think,  to  be."  He  showed  me 
his  Hoi^tus  Hyemalis ;  ^  leaves  laid  up  in  a  book  of 
several  plants  kept  dry,  which  preserve  colour, 
however,  and  look  very  finely,  better  than  any 
herbal.  In  fine,  a  most  excellent  person  he  is,  and 
must  be  allowed  a  little  for  a  little  conceitedness  ; 
but  he  may  well  be  so,  being  a  man  so  much  above 
others.  He  read  me,  though  with  too  much  gusto, 
some  little  poems  of  his  own,  that  were  not  tran- 
scendent, yet  one  or  two  very  pretty  epigrams  ; 
among  others,  of  a  lady  looking  in  a  grate  [cage], 
and  being  pecked  by  an  eagle  that  was  there."  \ 

Evelyn  was  ten  years  older  than  the  Clerk  of 
the  Acts,  and  it  is  easy  to  see  that  the  ice  as  yet 
was  only  partially  broken.  Upon  his  next  visit,^ 
after  some  "most  excellent  discourse,"  Evelyn 
presents  his  new  acquaintance  with  the  ledger 
kept  by  a  previous  Treasurer  of  the  Navy,  a  relic 
which  is  still  to  be  seen  in  the  British  Museum.^ 
Upon  another  occasion,  in  Lord  Brouncker's  coach, 
Evelyn  develops  to  Pepys  his  project  of  an 
Infirmary,^  and  deplores  the  vanity  and  vices  of 

^  Vol.  iii.  p.  378. 

'^  This  may  have  been  the  tragi-comedy  of  Thyrsander,  still 
said  to  be  at  Wotton.  It  was  certainly  wTitten  at  this  date,  for 
Evelyn  refers  to  it  in  a  letter  to  Lord  Combury  of  9th  February, 
1665.  Of  the  other  dramatic  efforts  mentioned  by  Pepys  no 
particulars  are  given.  It  would  be  interesting  to  know  if 
Evelyn  anticipated  Fontenelle,  and  wrote  upon  Abdalonymus, 
the  gardener  king  of  Sidon.  Or  he  might  have  taken  Diocletian 
for  his  hero.     (See  antCy  p.  xxxix.) 

3  Vol.  i.  p.  307.  ^  Pepys'  Diary ^  5th  November,  l665. 

5  24.th  November,  l665. 

^  Globe  Pepys  J  by  Professor  G.  Gregory  Smith,  1905,  p.  357. 

7  29th  Januar)^,  I666. 


INTRODUCTION  xlix 

the  Court,  therein  proving  himself  *'  a  most  worthy 
person."  ^  Once  more  he  goes  to  Sayes  Court,  and 
wanders  about  the  garden.  By  this  time  they  are 
friends.  "  The  more  I  know  him,  the  more  I  love 
him,"  he  says  of  its  owner.^  But  his  longest  and 
most  important  record  comes  on  the  26th  April, 
1667,  when  he  walks  for  two  hours  with  Evelyn  at 
Whitehall,  "talking  of  the  badness  of  the  Govern- 
ment, where  nothing  but  wickedness,  and  wicked 
men  and  women  command  the  King :  that  it  is 
not  in  his  nature  to  gainsay  anything  that  relates 
to  his  pleasures  ;  that  much  of  it  arises  from  the 
sickliness  of  our  Ministers  of  State,  who  cannot  be 
about  him  as  the  idle  companions  are,  and  there- 
fore he  gives  way  to  the  young  rogues ;  and  then, 
from  the  negligence  of  the  Clergy,  that  a  Bishop 
shall  never  be  seen  about  him,  as  the  King  ot 
France  hath  always " — a  potentate  for  whom 
Evelyn  seems  at  this  date  to  have  entertained  a 
qualified  respect,  although  he  comes  afterwards  to 
stigmatise  him  as  the  "inhuman  French  tyrant." 
The  main  topic  of  conversation,  however — at  all 
events  the  topic  upon  which  Pepys  lingers  with  the 
greatest  particularity — is  the  then  recent  marriage 
of  the  belle  Stewart — that  most  radiant  of  all  the 
Hampton  Court  Gallery — to  the  Duke  of  Rich- 
mond. Evelyn  manifestly  had  a  better  opinion 
of  her  than  most  of  her  contemporaries ;  and  his 
testimony  (as  Lord  Braybrooke  says)  is  not  to  be 
disregarded.^  There  are  later  interviews,  in  which 
the  talk  is  mainly  of  "the  times,"  "our  ruin 
approaching,"  and  "the  folly  of  the  King."     But 

1  Even  Pepys — it  may  be  noted — though  not  by  any  means  a 
Cato,  drew  the  Hne  at  the  "profane  and  abominable  hves  "  of 
the  Caroline  Court.  2  29th  April,  I666. 

3  She  "managed  after  all" — says  the  King's  latest  and  best 
biographer — "to  rise  so  far  above  her  sisters  as  to  leave  her 
virtue  an  open  question,  and  to  become,  as  Duchess  of  Richmond^ 
an  'honest  vroman '  "  (Aiiy's  Charles  II.,  1904,  p.  194). 


1  INTRODUCTION 

upon  all  this  intercourse — as  already  observed — 
Evelyn  keeps  silence.  Yet,  without  the  record  of 
Pepys,  we  should  miss  a  valuable  sidelight  upon 
Evelyn  himself.  It  is  plain  that  if  he  had  con- 
descended to  "enliven  his  Character," — as  Steele 
once  said, — he  might  have  done  so  without 
difficulty. 

Pepys'  Diary  finishes  on  the  31st  May,  1669  ; 
and  his  last  reference  to  Evelyn  comes  at  the  end 
of  the  preceding  March.^  Between  May,  1665, 
when  he  first  mentions  him,  and  May,  1669, 
History  had  been  busily  making  itself.  It  was  the 
period  of  the  second  Dutch  War, — of  the  Plague  and 
Fire, — of  the  fall  of  Clarendon, — of  the  negotiations 
for  that  discreditable  Treaty  of  Dover  which  made 
Charles  the  pensioner  of  France.  Most  of  these 
things  leave  their  mark  in  Evelyn's  chronicle,  and 
the  Dutch  war,  in  particular,  kept  him  continu- 
ously occupied  in  duties  which  even  the  Plague  could 
not  interrupt, — a  fact  fully  acknowledged  both  by 
the  King  and  the  Duke  of  York.^  After  the  Fire 
he  promptly  presented  His  Majesty  with  a  plan  for 

^  Evelyn's  first  mention  of  Pepys  comes  under  10th  June, 
1669.  On  the  19th  February,  l67l,  he  speaks  of  him  as  "an 
extraordinary  ingenious,  and  knowing  person."  But  the  chief 
allusions  to  him  are  in  vol.  iii.  He  visits  him  in  the  Tower,  4th 
June,  1679 ;  on  15th  September,  l685,  he  goes  with  him  to 
Portsmouth ;  on  the  2nd  October  following,  Pepys  shows  him 
proof  of  Charles  being  a  Catholic.  In  July,  l689,  he  sits  to 
Kneller  for  his  portrait  at  Pepys'  request ;  on  the  24th  June, 
1690,  he  dines  with  him  before  his  committal  to  the  Gatehouse. 
Under  23rd  September,  1700,  is  a  record  of  his  visiting  Pepys 
at  "  Paradisian  Clapham  "  ;  and  there  is  a  laudatory  entry  about 
Pepys'  death  on  26th  May,  1703,  not  long  before  Evelyn's  OYra 
decease.  Several  interesting  letters  from  Evelyn  are  included 
in  the  Pepys  Correspondence.  The  last,  dated  as  late  as  20th 
January,  1703,  gives  a  pleasant  account  of  Evelyn's  grandson 
and  heir,  and  records  his  impressions  of  Clarendon's  History  of 
the  Rebel/ion,  which  he  has  just  received  from  the  author's  son. 

2  Vol.  ii.  p.  240. 


INTRODUCTION  li 

rebuilding  the  city  ;  and  he  seems  also  to  have  been 
the  first  to  suggest  that  the  "  monstrous  folio  "  of 
Aitzema  on  the  war/  then  in  progress  at  the 
Hague,  should  be  confuted  by  some  competent 
English  historian, — a  suggestion  which,  perhaps 
not  unnaturally,  recoiled  upon  himself^  In  1670 
he  was  actively  at  work  upon  this  task,  by  the 
King's  command.  In  August  of  the  next  year  the 
"Preface"  was  despatched  to  the  Lord  Treasurer, 
and  Evelyn  says  further  that  what  he  has  written 
of  the  book  itself  will  make,  at  the  least,  eight 
hundred  or  a  thousand  folio  pages.^  Nothing 
but  the  "  Preface,"  however,  saw  the  light.  This 
was  issued  rather  tardily  in  1674,  with  the  title 
Navigation  and  Commerce,  their  Original  and  Pro- 
gress. Unluckily,  the  Treaty  of  Breda,  whicli  it 
should  have  preceded,  had  just  been  concluded, 
and  the  book  was  suppressed  at  the  instance 
of  the  Dutch  Ambassador,*  who  protested  against 
what  had  been  said  concerning  the  Flags  and 
Fishery.  According  to  Evelyn,  the  offending 
passages  were  really  but  a  milder  version  of  what 
the  King  had  himself  supplied.  The  rest  of  the 
book,  which  was  afterwards  lent  in  MS.  to 
Pepys,  probably  in  connection  with  his  projected 
Navalia,^  was  never  reclaimed  by  Evelyn ;  and 
Bray  sought  for  it  fruitlessly  among  the  Pepysian 

1  Saken  van  Staet  en  Oorlogh,  by  Lieuwe  van  Aitzema,  1669-72. 

2  Vol.  ii.  pp.  294,  307,  314,  318,  321,  329,  etc. 

3  Letters  to  Sir  Thomas  ClifFord  (Lord  High  Treasurer),  20th 
January,  l670,  and  31st  August,  l671. 

^  That  is, — it  was  formally  suppressed,  a  course  which 
**  turned  much  to  the  advantage "  of  Benjamin  Tooke,  the 
stationer,  who  sold  it  freely  stih  rasa  (vol.  ii.  p.  370).  Pepys,  it 
may  here  be  noted,  upon  the  recommendation  of  Mr.  Coventry, 
had  meditated  a  "  History  of  the  late  Dutch  War  " — i.e.  the  first 
(1651-54).  It  ^^  sorts  mightily  with  m)^  genius,"  he  writes  on 
13th  June,  l664;  "and,  if  done  well,  may  recommend  me 
much." 

5  Vol.  iii.  p.  SQo. 


lii  INTRODUCTION 

Collection  at  Cambridge/  It  is  now  held  to  be 
lost.  There  is  always  a  temptation  to  overestimate 
the  importance  of  the  unborn  in  literature  ;  but 
Evelyn's  absolute  honesty,  his  patriotism,  his 
intimate  knowledge  of  the  facts,  no  less  than  his 
literary  ability,  certainly  justify  some  regret  that 
his  History  of  the  Dutch  War  never  came  to  be 
included  among  his  published  works. 

From  1670  to  1674,  the  History  of  the  Dutch 
War  must  have  engrossed  Evelyn's  best  energies. 
But  between  1670  and  the  earlier  publication  of 
Sylva  had  appeared  a  few  minor  efforts  which  re- 
quire brief  notice.  One  was  the  translation  entitled 
the  Mystery  of  Jesuitism,  referred  to  at  pp.  221-22 
of  vol.  ii.,  a  copy  of  which,  presented  to  the  Master 
of  the  Revels,  Sir  Henry  Herbert,  is  to  be  found 
in  the  British  Museum,  and  is  possibly  the  identical 
copy  which  the  King  carried  for  two  days  in  his 
pocket.^  Another  was  a  Preface  to  the  English 
Vineyard  Vindicated  of  the  King's  Gardener,  John 
Rose,  1666.  More  memorable  than  either  of 
these  is  the  tract  entitled  Publick  Employment 
and  an  Active  Eife preferred  to  Solitude,  1667,  an 
answer  to  "a  moral  Essay"  taking  the  opposite 
view  by  a  Scotch  Advocate,  Sir  George  Mackenzie 
of  Rosehaugh.^  It  is  at  first  sight  strange  to  find 
Evelyn,  with  his  love  for  "  solitudes  "  and  "  retire- 
ments," on  what  is  apparently  the  wrong  side 
in  the  argument.  But  the  discussion  is  frankly 
academic,  and  the  "war" — as  he  says  in  his 
"  Preface  " — "  innocent."  "  I  conjure  you  " — he 
writes  to  Cowley — "to  believe  that  I  am  still  of 
the  same  mind,  and  there  is  no  person  alive  who 
does  more  honour  and  breathe  after  the  life  and 
repose  you  so  happily  cultivate  and  adorn  by  your 

1  Letter  to  Samuel   Pepys,  6th  December,   l681  ;    Evelyn's 
Memoirs,  by  Bray,  1827,  i.,  xxv. 

2  Vol.  ii.  p.  223.  3  Vol.  ii.  p.  268. 


INTRODUCTION  liii 

example."  ^  Sir  Roger  de  Coverley's  decision  that 
much  may  be  said  on  both  sides  would  probably  have 
sufficed  ;  but  Horace  Walpole,  always  sympathetic 
to  Evelyn,  puts  the  matter  in  a  nutshell : — '*  He 
[Evelyn]  knew  that  retirement  in  his  own  hands 
was  industry  and  benefit  to  mankind  ;  but  hi  those 
of  others,  laziness  and  inutility."^  After  the  Essay 
on  Solitude  the  only  works  which  preceded  the 
Dutch  War  were  a  preface  to  a  fresh  translation 
of  Freart  on  the  Perfection  of  Painting,  1668,^  and 
an  honest  attempt  to  expose  fraud — the  History  of 
the  Three  late  Famous  Imposto7\s,  Padre  Ottomano, 
Mahomed  Bei,  and  Sabatai  Sevi — the  last  being  a 
pretended  Messiah/ 

The  Histoi^y  of  the  Impostors  belongs  to  1669  ; 
and  for  literary  purposes  the  next  four  years,  as 
already  stated,  were  absorbed  by  the  chronicle  of  the 
Dutch  War.  In  the  ten  years  which  intervened 
between  the  issue  of  Navigation  and  Commerce 
and  the  death  of  Charles  in  1685,  Evelyn  pubhshed 
nothing  but  Terra,  a  "philosophical  discourse" 
treating  of  the  earth  in  relation  to  vegetation  and 
planting,  which  he  had  read  before  the  Royal 
Society  in  April,  1675.^  The  story  of  his  life,  as 
revealed  by  his  records,  may  therefore  be  resumed 
without  interruption.  In  1667  he  was  consulted, 
mainly  on  account  of  his  Fumifugium,  as  to  some 
substitute  for  the  lack  of  fuel  then  being  sadly 
felt ;  ^  and  in  the  same  year  he  was  allied  with  a 
certain  projecting  Sir  John  Kiviet,  a  Dutchman, 
in  a  scheme  for  facing  the  Thames,  from  the 
Temple  to  the  Tower,  with  clinker  bricks,  a  colla- 
boration  by  which   (according  to  Pepys)   he  lost 

1  Letter   to   Abraham   Coivleij,   l^th    March,    l667  (Appendix 

2  Catalogue  of  Engravers^  l7o3,  p.  77. 

3  Vol.  ii.  p.  290.  ^  Vol.  ii.  pp.  290,  294. 
5  Vol.  ii.  p.  378.                                   6  Vol.  ii.  pp.  275,  276. 


liv  INTRODUCTION 

£500.^  In  1667  also  he  managed  to  induce  Mr. 
Henry  Howard  (afterwards  Duke  of  Norfolk) 
to  transfer  the  famous  Marmora  Arundeliana 
collected  by  his  grandfather,  the  old  Earl  of 
Arundel,  to  the  University  of  Oxford,'^  having 
previously  persuaded  the  same  nobleman,  who  had 
'''  little  inclination  to  books,"  to  present  the  bulk 
of  the  Arundel  Library  to  the  Royal  Society.^  In 
February  1671  the  King  made  him  a  member  of 
the  Council  of  Foreign  Plantations,^  with  a  salary 
— "to  encourage  him" — of  £500  a  year.  This 
Council,  afterwards  amalgamated  with  that  of 
Trade,^  and  having  John  Locke  for  its  Secretary, 
became  the  nucleus  of  the  existing  and  hetero- 
geneous Board  of  Trade.^  It  held  its  first 
meetings  in  the  Earl  of  Bristol's  house  in  Queen's 
Street,  Lincoln's  Inn  Fields.'  Buckingham, 
Arlington,  Lauderdale,  Carteret,  with  many  other 
notable  names,  figured  among  its  early  members, 
and  its  first  President  was  Sandwich.  Evelyn 
seems  to  have  highly  valued  this  appointment, 
which  he  thoroughly  deserved,  and  for  the  duties  of 
which  he  was  probably  far  better  equipped  than 
most  of  his  colleagues.  In  the  following  year  he 
was  made  Secretary  to  the  Royal  Society  ;  but  that 
post  he  only  held  for  a  twelvemonth.*^  Another  of 
his  functions  at  this  date  was  that  of  Younger 
Brother  of  the  Trinity  House.^ 

Evelyn's  dislike  to  the  "buffoons  and  ladies  of 
pleasure  "  ^^  (the  words  are  his  own),  who  formed  so 

1  Vol.  ii.  pp.  268, 269,  280  ;  and  Pepys,  under  23rd  September, 
1668. 

2  Vol.  ii.  p.  280.  3  Vol.  ii.  p.  267. 
4  Vol.  ii.  p.  319.                                         ^  Vol.  ii.  p.  ^b?>. 

*^  At  present  located  in  Whitehall  Gardens.  It  may  be  noted 
it  was  at  first  proposed  that  a  Council  Chamber  should  be  built 
in  this  very  neighbourhood,  in  order  that  the  King  might  be 
present  at  the  debates  (vol.  ii.  pp.  326,  327). 

7  Vol.  ii.  p.  323.  8  Vol.  ii.  p.  354. 

»  Vol.  ii.  p.  ?>bb.  10  Vol.  ii.  p.  279. 


INTRODUCTION  Iv 

large  a  part  of  the  Court  personnel,  has  been  suffi- 
ciently disclosed  in  his  conversations  with  Pepys. 
For  such  men  as  Clarendon  and  Clifford,  and 
Sandwich  and  Ossory,  he  always  retained  a  respect 
which,  in  the  case  of  the  first  two,  did  not  blind 
him  to  the  defects  of  their  qualities.  But  very 
few  of  the  other  sex  appear  to  have  obtained  or 
deserved  his  admiration.  The  conspicuous  excep- 
tion is  the  beautiful  Margaret  Blagge,  the  youngest 
daughter  of  Colonel  Thomas  Blagge  of  Horniiigs- 
herth,  and  afterwards  the  wife  of  Sidney 
Godolphin.  She  is  first  mentioned  in  the  Diary 
in  1669  as  "that  excellent  creature  Mrs.  Blagge,"^ 
being  then  Maid  of  Honour  to  Clarendon's 
daughter,  the  Duchess  of  York ;  and  thenceforth 
she  reappears  at  intervals  in  Evelyn's  pages. 
Speaking  in  July,  1672,  of  an  entertainment  he 
gave  to  the  Maids  of  Honour,  he  mentions  among 
them  especially  "  one  I  infinitely  esteemed  for  her 
many  and  extraordinary  virtues."^  At  this  date 
Anne  Hyde  was  dead,  and  "  Mrs."  or  Miss  Blagge 
had  passed  to  the  service  of  Catherine  of  Braganza. 
Shortly  afterwards  she  quitted  the  Court  altogether, 
returning  to  it  only  on  one  occasion,  at  the  express 
command  of  the  King  and  his  brother,  to  take 
the  appropriate  part  of  Diana  in  "little  starched 
Johnny  Crowne's"  masque  of  Calisto  ;  or,  the 
Chaste  Nymph,^  But  even  six  years  in  that 
"perilous  Climate"  had  left  her  native  piety  un- 
scathed. She  was  essentially  a  '' schone  Seek,'' 
instinctively  pure  and  good  ;  and,  in  spite  of  her 
beauty  and  intellectual  gifts,  which  were  consider- 
able,  succeeded  in  preserving  both  her  goodness 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  297.  2  Vol.  ii.  p.  349. 

3  It  is  characteristic  of  the  times  that  even  the  Chastity  of 
that  Court  of  Comus  had  to  bedizen  herself  with  £20,000  worth 
of  borrowed  jewelry,  some  of  which,  being  lost  in  the  crowd,  had 
to  be  made  good  by  the  Duke  of  York  (vol.  ii.  p.  374). 


Ivi  INTRODUCTION 

and  her  purity.  Arethusa-like,  says  Evelyn,  she 
"passed  through  all  those  turbulent  waters  with- 
out so  much  as  the  least  stain  or  tincture  in  her 
crystal."  ^ 

"Minding  his  books  and  his  garden,"  and 
quitting  his  "recess''  only  upon  compulsion, 
Evelyn  had  not  at  first  sufficiently  appreciated 
the  rare  character  who  sometimes  came  to  Sayes 
Court  with  Mrs.  Howard.  But  by  July,  1672,— 
as  we  have  seen — he  had  grown  thoroughly  alive 
to  the  beauty  and  intellectual  charm  of  his  young 
visitor ;  and  in  October  of  the  same  year — partly 
in  jest  and  partly  in  earnest — they  entered,  not- 
withstanding the  disparity  in  their  ages,  upon  "  an 
inviolable  friendship."  To  Evelyn,  from  this  time, 
Margaret  Blagge  became  an  adopted  child,  to  be 
advised  and  served  "  in  all  her  secular  and  no  few 
spiritual  affairs  and  concerns"  to  the  best  of  his 
ability,  whilst  she,  on  her  part,  repaid  him  with  an 
attachment  "so  transcendently  sincere,  noble,  and 
religious,"  as  to  exceed,  in  all  its  dimensions, 
anything  he  had  hitherto  conceived.  These  are 
mainly  his  own  words,  which  should  be  con- 
sulted with  their  context  in  the  posthumous 
account  he  wrote  of  her.  In  this  place  her 
story  can  only  be  briefly  pursued.  On  her  retire- 
ment from  Court,  which  must  have  taken  place 
not  long  after  the  date  last  mentioned,  she  found 
an  asylum  with  her  friend  Lady  Berkeley  of 
Stratton,  at  Berkeley  House  in  Piccadilly,  later 
the  refuge  of  the  Princess  Anne.  In  May,  1675, 
she  was  married  to  Godolphin,  then  Groom  of  the 
Bedchamber  to  the  King,'^  "the  person  in  the 
world  who  knew  her  best,  and  most  she  loved." 
For  obscure  reasons,  probably  imposed  upon  her 

1  Life  of  Mrs.   Godolphm,  "King's  Classics"  reprint,    1904, 
p.  7.     * 

2  Vol.  ii.  p.  379. 


INTRODUCTION  Ivii 

by  her  husband,  the  marriage  for  a  time  was  kept 
secret,  even  from  Evelyn  ;  and  in  the  following 
November^  she  accompanied  the  Berkeleys  to 
Paris,  Lord  Berkeley  being  Ambassador  Extra- 
ordinary and  Plenipotentiary  for  the  Peace  of 
Nimeguen."  Another  of  the  party  was  Evelyn's 
son  John,  a  youth  of  twenty,  to  whom,  in  virtue 
of  her  two  years'  seniority,  she  stood  in  the 
light  of  "  Governess," — his  *'  pretty,  pious,  pearly 
Governess  "  the  young  man  calls  her  to  his  father. 
She  returned  to  England  in  April,  1676.  Dis- 
persed entries  in  the  Diary  afterwards  show  Evelyn 
amiably  active  in  various  ways  for  the  benefit  of 
the  newly-married  pair ;  and  then,  in  1678,^  follows 
the  long,  sad  record  which  tells  of  the  young  wife's 
premature  death  in  childbirth.  At  Godolphin's 
request,  Evelyn  took  charge  of  her  little  son  ;  and 
among  the  papers  which,  at  Evelyn's  death,  were 
found  marked  "  Things  I  would  write  out  fair  and 
reform  if  I  had  leisure,"  was  a  lengthy  account  of 
her  life.  That  its  author  would  have  compressed 
it  in  the  transcription  is  unlikely ;  and  that  he  did 
not  **  write  it  out  fair  "  is  perhaps  to  its  advantage, 
for  it  is  already  somewhat  diffuse.  But  it  is  a 
thoroughly  earnest  and  sympathetic  account  of  a 
good  woman  in  bad  times,  besides  being  an  in- 
structive homily  on  the  text :  *'  Even  in  a  palace, 
life  may  be  led  well."  Through  that  tainted 
Whitehall  atmosphere  the  "  sinless  faith  "  of  Mar- 
garet Blagge  shines  serenely, — 

A  maiden  moon  that  sparkles  on  a  sty. 
Glorifying  clown  and  satyr  : 

and  it  was  not  the  least  of  her  merits,  both  in 
the  eyes  of  her   affectionate  biographer  and  her 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  387.  '^  Vol.  ii.  p.  S&5. 

3  Vol.  iii.  pp.  20-23. 


Iviii  INTRODUCTION 

episcopal  editor,  that  she  was  "  a  true  daughter  of 
the  Church  of  England."  ^ 

In  1676,  when  our  second  volume  closes,  Evelyn 
had  entered  his  fifty-seventh  year.  Henceforth  his 
record,  though  by  no  means  deficient  in  general 
interest,  grows  gradually  briefer  in  style,  and  less 
fruitful  in  personal  details.  At  this  date  four  only 
of  his  eight  children  were  alive,  three  daughters 
and  a  son.  The  son,  already  referred  to  as  visiting 
Paris  with  the  Berkeleys,  was  married  in  February, 
1680,  to  Miss  Martha  Spencer.-  Three  years 
afterwards  died  Evelyn's  father-in-law.  Sir  Richard 
Browne,  who  had  apparently  resided  at  Sayes 
Court  since  his  arrival  from  Paris  in  1660.^  In 
1685,  when  Charles  II.  disappeared  from  the  scene, 
death  was  again  busy  in  the  Evelyn  family.  Two 
of  the  daughters,  Mary  and  Elizabeth,  died  of  small- 
pox.^ Elizabeth,  the  younger  of  the  two,  had  been 
married  but  a  short  time  previously  to  a  nephew 
of  one  of  the  Commissioners  of  the  Navy,  Sir  John 
Tippett.  Mary,  who  was  unmarried,  and  to  whose 
memory  her  father  devotes  a  mournful  entry,  seems 
to  have  been  entirely  of  the  INlrs.  Godolphin  type, 
without  the  court  experience ;  and  also  to  have 
possessed  that  precocity  of  gift  Avhich  distinguished 
her  brother  Richard.  Something  of  her  literary 
ability  is  revealed  in  the  tract  entitled  Mundus 
3Iuliebris,^  which  her  father  published  five  years 
later,    with    notes   of    his    own    and   probably   a 

^  Evelyn's  Life  of  Maj-garet  Godolphin,  first  published  by 
Bishop  Wilberforce  in  1847  from  the  MS.  in  the  possession 
of  the  author's  great-great-grandson,  the  Archbishop  of  York, 
has  recently  (1904<)  been  made  generally  accessible  by  a  neat 
and  inexpensive  reprint  in  Professor  Gollancz's  "  King's  Classics  " 
series. 

-  Vol.  iii.  p.  4o. 

2  Vol.  ii.  p.  146,  and  vol.  iii.  p.  90. 

4  Vol.  iii.  pp.  148,  173.  »  Vol.  iii.  p.  152. 


INTRODUCTION  lix 

"  Preface,"  ^  and  which  exhibits  not  only  a  credit- 
able proficiency  in  pre-Swiftian  octosyllabics,  but  a 
faculty  for  stocktaking  in  chiffons  that  would  have 
done  credit  to  the  late  George  Augustus  Sala. 
Mary  Evelyn's  death  left  her  father  but  one 
daughter,  Susanna,  afterwards  married  to  John 
Draper  of  Addiscombe  in  Surrey.^  She  was  soon 
to  be  the  only  surviving  child,  for  her  brother  John 
died  in  1699,  leaving  a  son — another  John — to 
become  Evelyn's  heir. 

With  the  accession  of  the  Duke  of  York  as 
James  the  Second,  came  to  Evelyn  what  was 
perhaps  his  crowning  distinction.  In  December, 
1685,  during  the  absence  of  the  second  Earl  of 
Clarendon    as    Lord -Lieutenant    of    Ireland,    the 

1  From  which,  as  it  shows  Evelyn  in  the  always  attractive 
role  of  a  laudator  ternporis  acti,  and  also  gives  an  example  of  his 
lighter  manner,  the  following  may  be  quoted  : — "  They  [our 
forefathers]  had  cupboards  of  ancient  useful  plate,  whole  chests 
of  damask  for  the  table,  and  store  of  fine  Holland  sheets  (white 
as  the  driven  snow),  and  fragrant  of  rose  and  lavender,  for  the 
bed  ;  and  the  sturdy  oaken  bedstead,  and  furniture  of  the  house, 
lasted  one  whole  century  ;  the  shovel-board  and  other  long 
tables,  both  in  hall  and  parlour,  were  as  fixed  as  the  freehold ; 
nothing  was  moveable  save  joynt-stools,  the  black-jacks,  silver 
tankards,  and  bowls :  and  though  many  things  fell  out  between 
the  cup  and  the  lip,  when  happy  [?  nappy]  ale,  March  beer, 
metheglin,  malmesey,  and  old  sherry,  got  the  ascendant  among 
the  blew-coats  and  badges,  they  sung  Old  Symon  and  Cheviot- 
Chase,  and  danc'd  Brave  Arthur,  and  were  able  to  draw  a  bow 
that  made  the  proud  Monsieur  tremble  at  the  whizze  of  the  grey- 
goose-feather.  'Twas  then  ancient  hospitality  was  kept  up  in 
town  and  country,  by  which  the  tenants  were  enabled  to  pay 
their  landlords  at  punctual  day  ;  the  poor  were  relieved  bounti- 
fully, and  charity  was  as  warm  as  the  kitchen,  where  the  fire  was 
perpetual.  In  those  happy  days.  Sure-foot,  the  grave  and  steady 
mare,  carried  the  good  knight,  and  his  courteous  lady  behind 
him,  to  church  and  to  visit  the  neighbourhood,  without  so  many 
hell-carts,  ratling  coaches,  and  a  crue  of  lacqueys,  which  a  grave 
livery  servant  or  two  supply'd,  who  rid  before  and  made  way  for 
his  worship."  (Preface  to  Mundus  Muliebris,  Eveljii's  Miscel- 
laneous Writings,  1825,  pp.  700-1.) 

^  Vol.  iii.  p.  301. 

e 


Ix  INTRODUCTION 

office  of  Privy  Seal  was  put  into  commission,  and 
Evelyn  was  appointed  one  of  the  three  Com- 
missioners/ two  being  a  quorum.  This  was  an 
honour  not  without  its  drawbacks,  as  the  new 
King  was  anxious  to  do  a  good  many  things  which 
Evelyn  could  by  no  means  regard  as  compatible 
either  with  the  fitness  of  things  or  the  welfare  of 
his  beloved  Church  of  England.  He  could  not, 
for  instance,  have  been  enthusiastic  about  making 
Catherine  Sedley  Countess  of  Dorchester;^  and  he 
was  not  ill  pleased  that  his  colleagues  proceeded 
without  him.  Once — he  does  not  say  upon  what 
matter — he  deliberately  absented  himself;^  and 
on  another  occasion,  when  it  was  a  question  of 
allowing  the  printing  of  Missals,  Offices,  Lives 
of  Saints,  and  so  forth,  he  refused  to  agree,  and 
the  licence  was  laid  by.^  He  took  the  same 
course,  with  Sancroft's  concurrence,  in  the  case 
of  an  application  by  the  apostate  Obadiah  Walker 
as  to  the  publication  of  Popish  books.  On  the 
whole,  important  as  the  office  was,  he  must  have 
felt  relieved  when,  at  Clarendon's  return,  his 
duties  came  to  an  end,  though  the  King  trans- 
ferred the  seal  to  a  zealous  Roman  Catholic, 
Lord  Arundel  of  Wardour.^  But  if  his  Com- 
missionership  had  been  a  source  of  anxiety  to 
him,  he  was  certainly  indebted  to  King  James 
for  the  solution  of  another  difficulty,  which, 
under  that  monarch's  predecessor,  he  had  vainly 
endeavoured  to  set  right.  "  For  many  years  "  he 
had  "been  persecuted  for"  sums  overdrawn  by  his 
father-in-law  during  his  residence  in  France.  By 
the  good  offices  of  Godolphin,  now  a  Commissioner 
of  the  Treasury,  an  expensive  Chancery  suit,  of 
which  these  had  become  the  subject,  was  deter- 

1  Vol.  iii.  pp.  174,  198.  2  Vol.  iii.  p.  196. 

3  Vol.  iii.  p.  201.  •*  Vol.  iii.  p.  200. 

5  Vol.  iii.  p.  216. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixi 

mined ;  and,  in  June,  1687,  he  was  granted  a  Seal 
for  £6000  in  discharge  of  the  debt.^  This  was 
apparently  rather  less  than  half  his  deserts  as 
Browne's  executor  ;  but  half  in  those  days  was 
much,  especially  when  it  included  the  winding-up 
of  legal  proceedings.  He  was  still,  however,  in  the 
following  year,  petitioning  for  overdue  allowances 
in  connection  with  his  care  of  the  Sick  and 
Wounded  in  the  Dutch  War.^ 

In  1691  George  Evelyn,  the  proprietor  of 
Wotton,  lost  his  only  remaining  son ;  and  after 
the  marriage  of  Susanna  Evelyn  above  related, 
he  invited  his  brother  John,  now  heir  to  the 
estate,  to  occupy  apartments  in  the  Surrey  home. 
To  Wotton  accordingly,  in  May,  1694,  after  forty 
years'  residence  at  Deptford,  Evelyn  retired  to 
spend  the  close  of  his  life.  A  letter  to  Dr.  Bohun, 
two  years  later,  gives  a  pleasant  picture  of  that 
quiet  eventide.  He  has  "so  little  conversation 
with  the  learned,"  he  writes,  "that  without  books 
and  the  best  Wife  and  Bro.  in  the  world"  he 
were  to  be  pitied;  "but  [he  goes  on]  with  these 
subsidiaries,  and  the  revising  some  of  my  old 
impertinences,  to  which  I  am  adding  a  Discourse  I 
made  on  Medals  (lying  by  me  long  before  Obadiah 
Walker's  Treatise  appeared),^  I  pass  some  of  my 
Attic  nights,  if  I  may  be  so  vain  as  to  name  them 
with  the  author  of  those  Criticisms.  For  the  rest, 
I  am  planting  an  ever-green  grove  here  to  an  old 
house  ready  to  drop,  the  economy  and  hospitality 
of  which  my  good  old  Brother  will  not  depart  from, 
but  more  veteruvi  kept  a  Christmas  [1696]  in  which 
we  had  not  fewer  than  three  hundred  bumpkins 
every  holy-day.  We  have  here  a  very  convenient 
apartment  of  five  rooms  together,  besides  a  pretty 

1  Vol.  iii.  p.  221.  2  Vol.  iii.  pp.  228,  231. 

2  Walker's  Greek  and  Roman  History,  illustrated  by  Coins  and 
Medals,  etc.,  2  Pts.,  1692. 


Ixii  INTRODUCTION 

closet,  which  we  have  furnished  with  the  spoils  of 
Sayes  Court,  and  is  the  raree-show  of  the  whole 
neighborhood,  and  in  truth  we  live  easy  as  to  all 
domestic  cares.  Wednesday  and  Saturday  nights 
we  call  Lecture  Nights,  when  my  Wife  and  myself 
take  our  turns  to  read  the  packets  of  all  the  news 
sent  constantly  from  London,  which  serves  us  for 
discourse  till  fresh  news  comes ;  and  so  you  have 
the  history  of  an  old  man  and  his  no  young 
companion,  whose  society  I  have  enjoyed  more  to 
my  satisfaction  these  three  years  here,  than  in 
almost  fifty  before,  but  am  now  every  day  trussing 
up  to  be  gone,  I  hope  to  a  better  place."  ^ 

Sayes  Court,  which  seems  at  first  to  have  been 
intended  as  a  summer  residence  for  Susanna 
Evelyn  and  her  husband,  was  eventually  let  to 
another  Deptford  resident.  Admiral  (then  Captain) 
John  Benbow.  "  I  have  let  my  house  to  Capt. 
Benbow,"  says  the  letter  just  quoted,  "and  have 
the  mortification  of  seeing  every  day  much  of  my 
former  labours  and  expense  there  impairing  for 
want  of  a  more  polite  tenant."  But  this  was  not 
all.      When  King  William's  favourite,^  Peter  the 

^  Letter  to  Dr.  Bohun,  18th  January,  l697.  This  is  a  winter 
picture.  A  letter  to  Pepys,  three  years  later^  is  dated  in  July. 
"  You  will  now  enquire  what  I  do  here  ?  Why,  as  the  patriarchs 
of  old,  I  pass  the  day  in  the  fields,  among  horses  and  oxen, 
sheep,  cows,  bulls,  and  sows,  et  cetera  pecus  campi.  We  have, 
thank  God !  finished  our  hay  harvest  prosperously.  I  am  look- 
ing after  my  hinds,  providing  carriage  and  tackle  against  reaping 
time  and  sowing.  What  shall  I  say  more  }  Venio  ad  voliqitate.y 
agricolarum,  which  Cicero,  you  know,  reckons  among  the  most 
becoming  diversions  of  old  age,  and  so  I  render  it.  This  with- 
out : — now  within  doors,  never  was  any  matron  more  busy  than 
my  wife,  disposing  of  our  plain  country  furniture  for  a  naked  old 
extravagant  house,  suitable  to  our  employments.  She  has  a 
daily,  and  distaffs,  for  lac,  linum,  et  lanam,  and  is  become  a  very 
Sabine."     But  he  is  old  (eighty),  and  has  been  ill. 

2  "The  Czar  is  highly  caressed  by  the  King"  (Sir  George 
Fletcher  to  Sir  Daniel  Fleming,  18th  January,  1698,  Hid.  MSS. 
Comm.  12th  Kept.,  1890,  App.  Pt.  vii.  p.  S^d)- 


INTRODUCTION  Ixiii 

Great,  came  to  Deptford  to  learn  shipbuilding, 
Benbow  sublet  Sayes  Court  to  him,  with  disastrous 
results.  "  There  is  a  house  full  of  people,"  wrote  one 
of  Evelyn's  servants  to  Wotton,  "  and  right  nasty. 
The  Czar  lies  next  your  library,  and  dines  in  the 
parlour  next  your  study.  He  dines  at  10  o'clock 
and  6  at  night,  is  very  seldom  at  home  a  whole  day, 
very  often  in  the  King's  Yard,  or  by  water,  dressed 
in  several  dresses.  The  King  is  expected  here 
this  day,  the  best  parlour  is  pretty  clean  for  him 
to  be  entertained  in.  The  King  pays  for  all  he 
has."  ^  Not  content  with  wantonly  damaging  the 
grass-work  and  fruit-trees,  and  beating  the  bowling- 
green  into  holes,  one  of  Czar  Peter's  favourite  morn- 
ing exercises  was  to  cause  himself  to  be  trundled 
on  a  wheelbarrow  through  Evelyn's  famous  five- 
foot  holly  hedge,  long  the  crowning  glory  of 
the  Deptford  grounds.  When  later  Sir  Chris- 
topher Wren,  and  London,  the  King's  gardener, 
at  the  request  of  the  Treasury,  proceeded  to 
report  upon  the  exploits  of  this  barbaric  humorist, 
they  found  that  Evelyn  had  suffered  to  the  extent 
of  £162  :  7s.,  and  Benbow,  £158  :  2  : 6.  Unhappily, 
much  that  had  been  done  could  never  be  undone ; 
and  Evelyn  later  speaks  sadly  in  Syha  "  of  my  now 
ruined  garden,  thanks  to  the  Czar  of  Muscovy."  ^ 

Little  more  remains  to  be  related  of  Evelyn's 
life.  In  October,  1699,  his  *'good  old  Brother" 
died,  and  he  became  the  possessor  of  Wotton, 
together  with  its  library  and  family  pictures.  In 
May  of  the  following  year  he  transferred  to  it  the 
remainder  of  his  Sayes  Court  belongings.^     Besides 

^  Memoirs  of  John  Evelyn,  etc.,  1827,  iii.  364. 

2  Sylva,  1706,  i.  p.  265. 

2  Vol.  iii.  p.  351.  Sayes  Court,  never  again  to  be  occupied 
by  any  member  of  the  family,  deserves  a  parting  word.  In 
March,  1701  (ibid.  p.  S55),  it  was  let  to  Lord  Carmarthen,  the  son 
of  the  Duke  of  Leeds.  Fifty-eight  years  later  it  passed  to  the 
Vestry  of  St.  Nicholas,  Deptford,  on  a  sixty-one  years'  lease  as  a 


Ixiv  INTRODUCTION 

the  books  already  specified,  he  had  published  a 
translation  of  the  Covipleat  Gardenei^  of  La  Quin- 
tinye,  1693,  and  Numismata,  1697,  being  the 
"  Discourse  on  Medals  "  mentioned  in  his  letter  to 
Dr.  Bohun.^  Two  years  later  came  his  final  work, 
Acetaria,  a  chapter  "of  sallets"  from  the  Elysium 
BritannicuinJ^  During  his  last  years  one  of  his 
chief  interests  was  the  transformation  of  Charles 
the  Second's  unfinished  palace  at  Greenwich  into 
a  hospital  for  worn-out  seamen,  a  long -projected 
enterprise  upon  which  William  the  Third  embarked 
definitely  after  Queen  Mary's  death.  In  February, 
1695,^  Godolphin  offered  Evelyn  the  Treasurership  ; 
and  in  June,  1696,  he  laid  the  foundation  in  that 
capacity  of  Wren's  additions.^  He  lived  to  see 
the  Hospital  opened  in  January,  1705.  In  1702 
he  had  been  elected  a  member  of  the  then  lately 
incorporated  Society  for  the  Propagation  of  the 
Gospel  in  Foreign  Parts.^  On  the  27th  February, 
1706,  being  in  his  eighty -sixth  year,  and  having 
outlived  many  of  his  most  valued  friends,  he 
died,  after  a  short  illness,  and  was  buried  in  the 
dormitory  of  Wotton  Church.  Upon  his  tomb- 
stone, in  addition  to  the  w^ords  quoted  in  the 
opening  lines  of  this  "  Introduction,"  was  recorded, 
by  his  own  desire,  his  conviction  "  That  all  is  vanity 

workhouse.  In  1820  the  lease  was  renewed  for  a  shnilar  tenn 
with  power  to  pull  down  or  alter.  Before  this  second  lease  had 
expired,  the  erection  of  a  workhouse  at  East  Greenwich  enabled 
the  Vestry  to  suiTender  the  premises  to  the  present  representa- 
tive of  the  family,  Mr.  W.  J.  Evelyn.  Much  transformed,  it  was 
first  used  for  emigration  purposes.  Then  what  remained  was 
turned  into  the  "  Evelyn  Almshouses,  Sayes  Court,"  by  Mr. 
Evelyn,  who  later  added,  on  parts  of  the  old  estate,  a  Museum 
and  Recreation  Ground  (Dews'  Deptford,  2nd  edition,  1884, 
pp.  36-40).  "  Sayes  St."  and  "  Evelyn  St."  also  preserve  the 
memory  of  the  Diarist. 

1  Ante,  p.  Ixi.  2  Vq],  iii.  p.  344. 

3  Vol.  iii.  p.  314.  4  Vol,  jij   p^  309. 

^  Vol.  iii.  p.  361. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixv 

which   is   not   honest,    and  that  there  is  no  solid 
wisdom  but  in  real  Piety/' 

On  the  9th  of  February,  1709,  Mary  Evelyn  died, 
and  was  buried  near  her  husband.  She  does  not 
figure  very  frequently  in  his  Diary,  but  for  nearly 
fifty-nine  years  she  was  his  devoted  helpmate. 
Considerably  younger  than  Evelyn,  she  remained  to 
the  last  "his  grateful  and  docile  pupil."  From  the 
outset  she  had  been  carefully  educated.  She  was 
an  accomplished  amateur  artist ;  she  spoke  French 
exactly,  and  understood  Italian  ;  she  wrote  letters  in 
excellent  English  ;  and  although — "  as  one  having 
the  care  of  cakes  and  stilling,  and  sweetmeats  and 
such  useful  things" — she  only  professed  to  "judge 
unrefinedly,"  she  had  no  little  critical  power,  and 
was  an  acute  and  even  caustic  student  of  character.^ 
Warmly  attached  to  her  friends,  and  extremely 
hospitable,  her  real  inclinations  were,  nevertheless, 
for  quiet  and  seclusion.  Of  the  duties  and  province 
of  her  sex  she  took  what  would  now  be  regarded 
as  a  needlessly  modest  estimate.  "  Women,"  she 
wrote,  "  were  not  born  to  read  authors,  and  censure 
the  learned,  to  compare  lives  and  judge  of  virtues, 
to  give  rules  of  morality,  and  sacrifice  to  the  Muses. 
We  are  willing  to  acknowledge  all  the  time 
borrowed  from  family  duties  is  misspent ;  the  care 
of  children's  education,  observing  a  husband's 
commands,  assisting  the  sick,  relieving  the  poor, 
and  being  serviceable  to  our  friends,  are  of  sufficient 
weight  to  employ  the  most  improved  capacities 
among  us."  Such  a  deliverance  would  have 
delighted  Dr.  Primrose  of  Wakefield !  It 
delighted  Dr.  Bohun,  her  friend  and  her  son's 
tutor,  from  a  letter  to  whom  it  is  extracted.-  In 
1690  he  composed  a  lengthy  "  Character  "  of  her,  in 

^  Cf.  the  note    upon   Lamb's   "dear   Margaret    Newcastle/' 
vol.  ii.  p.  271. 

2  Memoirs  of  John  Evelyn ^  1827,  iv.  434. 


Ixvi  INTRODUCTION 

which  he  dwells  admiringly  upon  her  good  sense 
and  her  accomplishments,  and  her  merits  as  a  wife 
and  mother.^  The  one  abiding  grief  of  her  ordered 
and  placid  life  was  the  loss  of  so  many  of  her 
children.^ 

For  Evelyn  himself,  his  leading  traits  have 
already  been  outlined  at  the  beginning  of  this 
"  Introduction "  ;  and  they  have  also  been  illus- 
trated during  its  progress.  On  one  or  two  points, 
however,  it  may  be  useful  to  linger  for  a  moment. 
Lord  Beaconsfield's  Cardinal  in  Lothair^  laying 
stress  upon  the  fact  that  Evelyn's  character  "in 
every  respect  approached  perfection,"  adds — ap- 
parently as  an  afterthought — "He  was  also  a 
most  religious  man."  A  most  religious  man  in  the 
best  sense  he  unquestionably  was,  without  the 
testimony  of  his  tombstone,  or  the  certificate  of 
Cardinal  Grandison.  It  is  written  plainly  in  every 
page  of  his  Diary,  in  its  gravity,  its  reticence,  its 
silences  even  ; — in  its  absence,  during  a  profane  and 
scandalous  age,  of  all  scandal  and  profanity  ; — in  its 
regard  for  public  worship  and  its  reverence  for  the 
holy  communion.  Especially  is  it  manifest  when 
the  writer's  habitual  reserve  breaks  do^vn  under 
the  influence  of  grief  or  bereavement,  or  in  the 

1  Memoirs  of  John  Evelyn,  1827,  iv.  pp.  423-29. 

-  Abraham  Cowley,  in  the  Ode  from  which  quotation  has 
ah-eady  been  made  at  p.  xxxix.,  does  not  omit  his  tribute  to  the 
chatelaine  of  Sayes  Court : — 

In  Books  and  Gardens  thou  hast  plac'd  aright 
(Things  w^ii  thou  well  dost  understand, 
And  both  dost  make  w^'^  thy  laborious  hand) 
Thy  noble,  innocent  delight : 
And  in  thy  virtuous  Wife,  where  thou  again  dost  meet 
Both  pleasures  more  refin'd  and  siceet  ; 
The  fairest  garden  in  her  looks. 
And  in  her  mind  the  loisest  hooks. 
Oh  who  would  change  these  soft,  yet  solid  joys. 
For  empty  shows  and  senceless  noise. 
And  all  w*^^  rank  Ambition  breeds, 
W^^  seem  such  beauteous  flowers,  and  are  such  poisonous  weeds. 

2  Chapter  xvii. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixvii 

expression  of  thankfulness  to  God  for  the  preserva- 
tion of  his  life  or  health,  or  the  life  or  health  of 
those  dear  to  him.  And  he  gave  practical  proof  of 
the  sincerity  of  his  convictions  by  the  tenacity  with 
which,  during  the  Commonwealth  and  Protectorate, 
he  clung  to  the  ritual  and  traditions  of  a  Church, 
which,  as  he  truly  says,  seemed  "breathing  her 
last."  He  was  only — if  you  will — a  "passive 
resister,"  but  he  was  a  consistent  passive  resister. 
And  this  brings  us  to  another  matter.  It  is 
often  the  misfortune  of  caution  to  be  mistaken 
for  timidity ;  and  it  is  not  perhaps  always  easy  to 
repress  a  lurking  regret  that  a  man  so  uniformly 
estimable  should  not  sometimes  have  been  a  little 
more  demonstrative  and  a  little  less  prudent.  But 
this  is  surely  to  mistake  the  quality  of  real  bravery. 
To  be  flaviberge  au  vent  on  the  slightest  provoca- 
tion, like  Sir  John  Reresby,  or  to  have  "  killed  his 
man,"  like  Sir  Kenelm  Digby,  would  have  been 
impossible  to  one  like  Evelyn,  whose  principles 
were  wholly  averse  from  duelling,  and  whose  creed 
was  **  defence,  not  defiance."  With  all  seventeenth- 
century  gentlemen  he  had  learned  the  use  of  arms 
(he  could  fence  like  Milton,  or  ride  the  **  managed  " 
horse  like  His  Grace  of  Newcastle),  and  no  doubt 
would  have  borne  himself  manfully,  if  need  be, 
at  Edgehill  or  Brentford ;  but,  as  may  be  seen  in 
his  comments  upon  Albemarle  and  Sandwich,^  he 
deprecated  that  headlong  and  dare-devil  gallantry 
of  his  day  which  knew  neither  forethought  nor 
reason.  As  for  moral  courage,  he  had  no  lack  of 
it ;  witness  his  unabated  exertions  for  the  sick  and 
wounded  during  all  the  terrible  time  of  the  Plague 
and  Fire ;  and  his  steady  determination,  as  a  Com- 
missioner of  the  Privy  Seal,  to  follow,  not  the 
illegal  ruling  of  His  Majesty  King  James,  but  the 
dictates  of  his  own  conscience. 

1  Vol.  ii.  p.  347. 


Ixviii  INTRODUCTION 

It  is  generally  said  that  he  was  a  bookish 
recluse  and  man  of  peace,  seeking  above  all  things 
to  "  possess  his  soul  in  quiet,"  and  this  was  certainly 
what  he  professed  to  be.  But  even  this,  in  the 
light  of  his  biography,  needs  some  qualification. 
As  a  matter  of  fact,  his  mind  was  too  active,  his 
interest  in  contemporary  politics  too  keen,  his 
devotion  to  his  friends  too  great,^  to  allow  him 
to  adhere  strictly  to  his  programme ;  ^  and  it  is 
even  conceivable  that,  in  different  conditions,  and 
an  environment  more  favourable  to  his  theory  of 
life,  he  might  have  been  a  distinguished  man 
of  affairs.  In  ability  he  was  fully  equal  to  the 
Cliffords  and  Arlingtons  who  rose  so  rapidly  around 
him.  But  intrigue  and  self-seeking  were  foreign 
to  his  nature ;  and  he  was  obliged  to  do  the  best  he 
could  in  a  bad  time.  He  could  not  prevent  the 
Dutch  War  or  the  Treaty  of  Dover,  but  he  could 
help  to  carry  on  the  growing  Royal  Society  and 
lay  the  foundation  of  Greenwich  Hospital.  And 
it  is  unanswerable  evidence  to  the  respect  felt  for 
his  unfailing  honesty  and  unselfish  rectitude,  that 
though  his  position  must  often  have  been  one  of 
tacit  rebuke  to  those  about  him,  there  is  apparently 
no  indication  that  he  ever  provoked  that  ridicule 
which  is  usually  the  tribute  of  the  ribald  to  the 
right-minded.  He  had  been  in  the  company  of 
both  Buckingham  and  Rochester,  yet — as  far  as 
we  know — he  was  neither  libelled  by  the  one  nor 

1  For  fifteen  months,  at  the  instance  of  Godolphin,  he  under- 
took the  entire  management  of  Lord  Berkeley's  affairs  and 
estate  during  his  absence  as  Ambassador  in  France,  an  "  intoler- 
able servitude  and  correspondence  "  involving  endless  drudgery 
and  loss  of  time,  for  which  he  declined  to  accept  any  kind  of 
acknowledgment  (vol.  ii.  p.  386;  vol.  iii.  p.  1). 

2  In  1679,  for  instance,  he  describes  himself  to  Dr.  Beale  as 
"  having  for  the  last  ten  years  of  my  life  been  in  perpetual 
motion,  and  hardly  two  months  in  the  year  at  my  own  habita- 
tion, or  conversant  with  my  family  "  (vol.  iii.  p.  377). 


INTRODUCTION  Ixix 

mimicked  by  the  other.  Indeed,  it  is  quite  possible 
that  Charles  himself  (who  had  some  good  instincts) 
would  not  have  permitted  any  one  to  make  fun 
of  his  "old  acquaintance,"  Mr.  Evelyn.  As 
Southey  says,  he  "  had  no  enemy  " ;  and  this  in  a 
time  **torn  by  civil  and  religious  factions."  For 
his  friends,  if  judgment  is  to  go  by  their  verdict, 
few  men  could  empanel  such  a  jury  of  prelates  and 
politicians,  philosophers  and  poets.  Bancroft  and 
Tillotson  and  Tenison,  Browne  and  Jeremy  Taylor, 
Ormonde  and  Ossory  and  Godolphin,  Boyle  and 
Bentley,  Cowley  and  Waller — these  are  some  of  the 
most  eminent  names  in  an  age  not  undistinguished 
in  its  notables.  And  they  would  all  no  doubt  have 
agreed  unanimously  that  Mr.  Evelyn  of  Deptford 
was  not  only  a  man  of  marked  accomplishment 
and  conspicuous  integrity,  but  a  model  husband 
and  father,  and  an  exemplary  citizen,  friend,  and 
neighbour. 

Of  Evelyn's  writings  it  is  more  difficult  to 
speak  ;  and  it  would  be  impracticable  to  discuss  them 
adequately  in  this  "  Introduction."  "  His  books," 
says  Sir  Leslie  Stephen  roundly,  "  are  for  the  most 
part  occasional,  and  of  little  permanent  value." 
"  Occasional "  is  not  an  indulgent  adjective,  though 
it  might  be  applied  to  a  good  deal  that  is  of 
permanent  value, — for  instance,  the  Hydriotaphia  of 
Sir  Thomas  Browne.  Yet  it  is  hard  to  traverse 
the  verdict  as  a  general  proposition.  Perhaps  the 
fairest  thing  would  be  to  follow  De  Quincey's 
classification,  and  say  that  the  bulk  of  Evelyn's 
printed  legacy  belongs  to  the  literature  of  know- 
ledge rather  than  the  literature  of  power.  And 
the  literature  of  knowledge  has  a  knack  of  growing- 
obsolete  unless  it  be  preserved  by  the  saving 
element  of  style.  Evelyn's  style — it  has  been  said 
— is  not  attractive  ;  and  this  is  especially  true  of  his 
more  ambitious  published  efforts.     This  is  not  to 


Ixx  INTRODUCTION 

say  that  it  is  impossible  to  select  from  them 
passages  which  are  both  flexible  and  vivacious/ 
or  passages  which  are  vigorous,  or  passages  where 
earnestness  burns  into  eloquence.  But,  as  a  rule, 
he  is  encumbered  by  the  intricacies  of  his  method 
and  the  trappings  of  his  erudition.  He  is  over  fond 
of  strings  of  names  and  the  array  of  authorities  ; 
and  he  is  not  sufficiently  on  his  guard  against  that 
temptation  to  say  everything  which  is  the  secret 
of  tediousness.  Learned  and  sincere  as  he  is 
undoubtedly,  it  must  also  be  confessed  that  he  is 
sometimes  wearisome  to  read. 

Among  what  he  classes  as  his  "  original  works," 
— and  his  translations  require  no  further  notice  than 
they  have  already  received, — his  Sylva  is  the  most 
important,  and  also  the  best  known.  As  already 
stated,  it  was  thoroughly  successful  in  its  object, 
and  in  its  author's  lifetime  was  extremely  popular. 
After  his  death  it  received  loving  and  elaborate 
illustration  at  the  hands  of  Dr.  Hunter  ;  but  to-day, 
notwithstanding  that  it  contains  much  excellent 
"confused  feeding,"  we  should  imagine  that  it  is 
but  seldom  consulted  save  by  the  "retrospective 
reviewer  "  or  the  amateur  of  Forestry.  Like  the 
Kalendarium  Hortense^  like  the  Acetaria^  it  was 
probably  at  first  no  more  than  a  section  of  that 
vast  Elysium  Britannicum,  or  '*  Cyclopaedia  of 
Horticulture,"  which  its  projector  never  completed, 
and  probably  never  would  have  completed  except 
under  the  leisurely  dispensation  ojP  Hilpa  and 
Shalum.  Even  then  it  is  to  be  feared  that  he 
would  have  continued  complacently  to  multiply 
subdivisions  of  his  "  fruitful  and  inexhaustible 
subject,"  and  to  inlet  "  apposite  and  agreeable 
illustrations,"  rather  than  make  any  perceptible 
progress  towards  "Finis."  In  1679  he  had  been  at 
work  at  it  for  twenty  years  and  it  was  not  yet 

1  Cf.  the  picturesque  quotation  at  p.  lix.  n.  1. 


INTRODUCTION  Ixxi 

** fully  digested";  hi  1699  another  twenty  years 
had  slipped  away,  and  his  collection  of  material 
was  said  to  amount  to  several  thousand  pages. 
Yet  the  MSS.  at  Wotton,  when  Bray  wrote, 
revealed  no  more  than  parts  of  two  volumes 
of  very  dispersed  observations,  and  a  Syllabus 
of  Contents.^  Of  the  History  of  the  Dutch 
War,  the  loss  has  already  been  regretted  ;  and 
it  would  certainly  have  been  interesting  to  read 
the  account,  which  we  know  it  contained,  of 
the  sea-fight  in  Sole  Bay.^  But  that  loss,  it  must 
be  admitted,  could  only  be  a  serious  one  upon  the 
assumption  that  what  has  disappeared  was  entirely 
Evelyn's  own.  Had  the  book  ever  been  published, 
it  would  doubtless  have  represented,  not  its  writer's 
patriotic  and  candid  record  of  a  struggle  which  he 
deplored,  but  an  eoc  parte  official  narrative  manipu- 
lated to  suit  the  policy  of  Charles  II.,  and  edited 
to  that  end  by  Arlington  and  Clifford, — which  is 
another-guess  matter  altogether.  As  regards  the 
remaining  works,  the  coin-collector  will  no  doubt 
sometimes  consult  Numisviata,  and  the  print- 
collector,  Sculptura, — both  of  which  are  full  of 
adversaria  and  recondite  knowledge.  But,  on  the 
whole,  it  is  not  improbable  that  the  most  con- 
fessedly "occasional"  of  Evelyn's  performances 
will  most  attract  the  modern  student ;  and  that 
because,  more  by  their  matter  than  their  manner, 
they  illustrate  the  past.  Tyrannus  and  Mundus 
Muliebris  throw  light  upon  the  vagaries  of  fashion 
and  costume  ;  A  Character  of  England,  upon  social 
life  and  the  topography  of  London.  The  historian 
will  find  something  in  the  Apology  for  the  Royal 
Party  or  the  News  from  Brussels  Unmasked ;  and 
the  political  economist  cannot  neglect  Navigation 
and  Commerce, 

But  all  these  things,  to  a  greater  or  less  extent, 

1  Vol.  iii.  p.  378.  2  Vol.  ii.  p.  230. 


Ixxii  INTRODUCTION 

are  covered  by  the  pages  now  presented  to  the 
reader.  Evelyn's  so-called  Diary  is  not,  it  is  true, 
a  psychological  document,  making  intimate  reve- 
lation, conscious  or  unconscious,  of  its  writer's 
personality.  On  the  contrary,  although  obviously 
never  intended  for  publication,  it  is  uniformly 
measured  and  restrained,  except  in  those  heartfelt 
outbursts  which  serve  to  prove  and  emphasize  its 
private  character.  It  has,  however,  claims  of  a 
different  order.  Its  long  chronicle  extends  over 
an  unbroken  period  of  more  than  sixty  years, 
dating  from  the  stormy  days  which  preceded  the 
Commonwealth  to  the  early  time  of  Queen  Anne. 
During  all  this  age — "  an  age,"  as  his  epitaph  puts 
it,  "of  extraordinary  events  and  revolutions" — 
Evelyn  was  quietly,  briefly,  and  methodically  noting 
what  seemed  to  him  worthy  of  remembrance.  His 
desire  for  knowledge  was  insatiable,  his  sympathies 
wide,  and  his  tastes  catholic.  His  position  gave 
him  access  to  many  remarkable  persons,  in  and 
out  of  power ;  and  his  report  of  such  occur- 
rences as  came  under  his  notice  is  scrupulously 
careful  and  straightforward.  Touching  at  many 
points  the  multiform  life  of  his  time,  and  reflecting 
its  varied  characteristics  with  insight  and  modera- 
tion, his  records  have  a  specific  value  and  import- 
ance which  fairly  entitle  them  to  be  regarded  as 
unique. 

AUSTIN    DOBSON. 


pa  Jane,  married 

fathen,  who  died 

13. 

kA,  d.  unni.  1S14. 


>uiSA,acciden- 
ally  killed  by 
tiling  from  a 
recipice  in 
witzerland. 


SOHlfPA. 

o^ 
H( 


111        AlllClIUct, 

mar.  Nicholas 
Vincent. 


the  Baronetcy  became  Rev.  John 

Extinct.  Griffith. 
Maria,  d.  in  France,  = 

unmarried. 


One  son 
and  two 
daughters. 


Nicholas.    Hugh.       Anne. 


Mary. 


George  Willi^head,  born  in  1S32. 


at  Everley,  and  v/a 


[To  folloio  p.  Ixxii. 


PKDKIKEE   OF   TIIK   EVELYN    FAMILY, 

IN   ITS  DIKKKIiKNT  UltANCHIOS. 


Boone,  Esq.  gabct,  tn.  sister  of  Geo.  |  of  the     |  of  Sir  Ilidianl  Ireland,  chaplsiii  to  l^nl  li<>r    mother,   iiiar- 

Xaby.  ....Safer,  Uedtey.Esq.  same,      |  CiistotB^lUiii,  Uarconrt,  Lonl-Lieiit.  of  rind  the  Hon.  Ail- 

BLiZ4BCTB.wtreofPeier       Esq.  of    Bnxted,  d.  1793.  |  co.  Lino.hi.  Ireland,  d.  about  1770,  ni.  miral  Edward  How. 

Bathurst,  of  Clarendon  Susseic.  »'tat.7:..  Maigaret,  dau.  of  Michael  CHweu,    who    du-d 

Park,  Wilts.  Esq. ^       _        '  Tankerville,  Chamberlain,  1761.      = 


EVKLVN,    .   IjKSMB,): 


I.      Kdq., 
(Un  In  ICu] 


SiMOK.  Martha,  died       Sir  John,  died  1767,  Chables,  married        Gcnerml  William.  OoL  5 

,  ,  ijKHMK.necamBuomi-          i^angton,  Esq.         Earl  17'.>4,  married          «ged  61,  m.   Mary,           Susannah,      -*—            — '  '~"-  "*  — "* — ^ 

1111)11    wiic.   so,  I  toa8ofKothB8lnl778,        Saeah,    married         Har-  George  Ve-          dan.   of  Hugh,   1st           and  h.   o1 

1770,  burled  ot  I  and  died  June  2, 181«,         Chase  Price,  Esq.            court.  nables,    U.td         Viscount  FalmonUi.           Pride«iu, 

Lucas  Pepys,  Bart.                           |  =''''=                                     i 


Pet«r        Sydwbt, 


John,  of  Wotton,  devised  Ii 


HuinB,  took  the  nam.  

and  anna  of  Evelyn  died  1 


Colonel  John         Ba 


10C8TA,  d.  1818,  u.   i.,   m.  Mary,  dau.  of  Will.  Captoin 

the  Bev.  Dr.  Jenkin.  Rector  Turtoo,    Esq.,  died  natus  Wn 

ittou  and  Abinger,  d.  Nov.  12,  1817. 

II,  1S17.  I 


JULU  EVRLTK  MbD-       JohK, 


(:«cil  Cope  J 


I  1 

lAM,  an       George  Evelyn,  of 
«r,  llost         Wottou.b.SeiJt.lO, 


port  in  the  of  the  Srd  Begt.  of 
Gulf  of  St.  FootGriB.;  d.  Feb. 
IMSorlsoa;  cemetery  a""wot" 


sGKORnE      GWY- 


C.  Rowley, 
Bt..Q.C.B: 


auniedthesur-       Klizaukth  Jake,  married         „....  . 

nameandnrmH  Major  Watlien,  who  died         dau.           Salisbury.            Wright, 

orUsl<e;died  May,  1843. 

24  March,  ISiiO.  Gkoroiana,  d.  unm.  IsU. 


lusANNA  PaiDKAUx  JoiiN,  BUcceeded  I.Major 

w»- ••».<....»,      UvKLVK,  married  Jolm  to  the  title  on  Boron- 

andMarqutsor     Bllwoithy  Fortunatua  the  death  ofiiir  ton. 

"      "                    I  Lieut.  R.N.  Frederick  Eve- 


Sklika  Chablotte.  Louiba  Har-  WlUlam  John, 

Milton.   Who  di^  jS  SSZ]  F.R.G^tr,"F.Kj 

1885:  and   2ndly,  ofWoodcotc  27,  1822 ;    m. 

to    George  BavHe  hall,  co.  Ha-  1873,    Fmnw-H 


TTTTi^T"! — rr\     I       I      I      1  I 

M.  ^^OIWE  ClIAKLRS         FREUEHICK         ClIAnLEB       ALBERT       A    SOH        LoUISA.RCCideR-     tjOI'HU  IGVB 

"'  ■■  "  '  My  MUod  1 

llliU  from 


Sir  Uvoa.'sth  Bart., 
died  s.p.  in  IS4S,  when 


mill       I       I 

h^ldnugh.    Sona  and      Charles.    Frkdkki 
Anderson      daughtcra. 


I 


One  son         Nicholas.     High. 
daiightei^. 


.lOHX    HaBCOI-ST  CHlr.'HtKTKI 


J'*'-';^^   EUZABKTH. 


t  Clerkit  la  Chancery,  died  Janimry  10, 1(136,  iit  Evorley,  and  wa«  burled  hi 


BVBLVN  LEaLiE,  pieHOiit  Karl  ov  Bothbb,  born  Fob.  i,  lS3i.  HKSBitn- 

If  West  Dean  Church  February  S2  following. 


;  MORSHKAD,  born  ii 


ILLUSTRATIONS 


PORTRAITS 

PAGE 

John  Evelyn.  From  the  engraving  by  Robert  Nanteiiil  after  his 
own  drawing  made  at  Paris  in  June,  1650.  [See  vol.  ii.  p.  26. 
TJie  symbol  on  the  open  book  to  the  right  is  the  pentalpha  or 
pentacUy  signifying  constancy.  The  two  Latin  words  above  the 
quotation  from  Isocrates  are  part  of  the  motto  mentioned  in  the 
**  Introduction^''''  p.  x.vxi.  This  plate  is  known  to  collectors  of 
Nanteiiil  as  the  **  Petit  Mylord,""  or  "  Portrait  grec  "]    .     Frontispiece 

Sir  Richard  Browne.  From  the  engraving  by  PhiUp  Audinet 
after  a  drawing  made  by  Robert  Nanteiiil  at  Paris  in  1650. 
[See  vol.  i.  p.  68,  and  vol.  Hi.  pp.  90-92]  .  .  .  .69 

Henrietta  Maria,  Queen  Consort  of  Charles  I.  From  the  por- 
trait in  the  National  Portrait  Gallery,  School  of  Vandyck         .       115 

Thomas  Howard,  second  Earl  of  Arundel.  From  the  engraving 
by  James  Basire  after  the  painting  by  P.  P.  Rubens.  [See 
vol  Hi.  p.  303]        .......       307 


MAP 

WoTTON  House,  Surrey,  and  its  Environs.     From  John  Rocque's 
Map  of  Surrey        ....... 


VIEWS,  Etc. 

Wotton  House,  Surrey,  in  1818.  From  a  drawing  by  Edward 
Duncomb,  engraved  by  John  Scott.  [Leith  Hill  Tower  (see 
vol.  i.  p.  3)  is  in  the  distance]         .....  1 

Ixxiii 


Ixxiv  ILLUSTRATIONS 

PAGE 

WoTTON  Church,  Surrey,  in  1818.      From  a  drawing  by  John 

Coney,  engraved  by  W.  Woolnoth  ....  7 

The  Execution  of  Thomas  Earl  of  Strafford.      From  a   print 

by  Wenceslaus  Hollar       ......        93 

The  City  of  Paris.  From  an  engraving  by  John  Lievens,  or 
Livens.  {Showing  the  Tuileries,  the  Louvre^  S.  Jacques  de  la 
Boucherie,  the  Sorboniie,  the  Pont  Neuf,  La  Samaritaine,  the 
Pont  RoyaU  the  Palais ^  Notre  Dame,  etc.]  .  .  .71 

View  in  Richelieu's  Garden  at  Rueil.      From  an  engraving  by 

Gabriel  Perelle  after  a  drawing  by  Israel  Silvestre         .  .        83 

View  of  the  Luxembourg,  Paris  (Garden  side).  From  an  engrav- 
ing by  Adam  Perelle  after  his  own  drawing        .  .  .97 

The  Castle  of  Bourbon   l'Archembault.      From  an   engraving 

by  Israel  Silvestre  .  .  .  .  .  .  .119 

View  of  Florence.     From  an  engraving  by  Israel  Silvestre  .       139 

View  of  the  Ludovisi   Palace   and   Garden,    Rome.     From   an 

engraving  by  Israel  Silvestre        .....       165 

View    of   the    Piazza    di    Monte    Cavallo,    Rome.       From    an 

engraving  by  Israel  Silvestre         .  .  .  .  .167 

View  of  Naples  from  Vesuvius,  1645.     From  Evelyn's  etching   .       227 

View  of  the  Crater  of  Vesuvius,  1645.     From  Evelyn's  etching      229 

View  of  the  Piazza  della  Colonna  Trajano,  RoxME.  From  an 
engraving  by  Israel  Silvestre.  [S.  Maria  di  Loreto,  sur- 
mounted by  Sangallo's  lantern,  is  seen  to  the  right]  .  .       253 

View  of  the  Piazza  di  S.  Marco,  Venice.     From  an  engraving 

by  Israel  Silvestre  ......       289 


THE 

DIARY    OF   JOHN    EVELYN^ 

I  WAS  born  (at  Wotton,  in  the  County  of  Surrey,) 
about  twenty  minutes  past  two  in  the  morning, 
being  on  Tuesday  the  31st  and  last  of  October, 
1620,  after  my  father  had  been  married  about 
seven  years,^  and  that  my  mother  had  borne  him 
three  children ;  viz.  two  daughters  and  one  son, 
about  the  33rd  year  of  his  age,  and  the  23rd  of  my 
mother's. 

My  father,  named  Richard,  was  of  a  sanguine 
complexion,  mixed  with  a  dash  of  choler :  his  hair 
inclining  to  light,  which  though  exceeding  thick, 
became  hoary  by  that  time  he  had  attained  to 
thirty  years  of  age ;  it  was  somewhat  curled 
towards  the  extremities ;  his  beard,  which  he  wore 
a  little  peaked,  as  the  mode  was,  of  a  brownish 
colour,  and  so  continued  to  the  last,  save  that  it 
was  somewhat  mingled  with  grey  hairs  about  his 
cheeks,   which,   with   his   countenance,  were  clear 

1  [This  title  of  the  previous  Editors  has  been  retained, 
although,  as  explained  in  the  "  Preface "  to  the  present  issue, 
Evelyn's  records  are  more  properly  "  Memoirs."] 

2  He  was  married  at  St.  Thomas's  Church,  Southwark,  27th 
January,  l6l3.  My  sister  Eliza  was  bom  at  nine  at  night,  28th 
November,  l6l4;  Jane,  at  four  in  the  morning,  l6th  February, 
1616;  my  brother  George  at  nine  at  night,  Wednesday,  18th 
June,  1617 ;  and  my  brother  Richard,  9th  November,  1622 
{Note  by  Evelyn).  [A  full  pedigree  of  the  Evelyn  family  follows 
the  "  Introduction  "  to  this  volume.] 

VOL.  I  ^  B 


2  THE  DIARY  OF  1620 

and  fresh-coloured  ;  his  eyes  extraordmary  quick 
and  piercing ;  an  ample  forehead, — in  sum,  a  very 
well -composed  visage  and  manly  aspect:  for  the 
rest,  he  was  but  low  of  stature,  yet  very  strong. 
He  was,  for  his  life,  so  exact  and  temperate,  that  I 
have  heard  he  had  never  been  surprised  by  excess, 
being  ascetic  and  sparing.  His  wisdom  was  great, 
and  his  judgment  most  acute ;  of  solid  discourse, 
affable,  humble,  and  in  nothing  affected ;  of  a 
thriving,  neat,  silent,  and  methodical  genius ; 
discretely  severe,  yet  liberal  upon  all  just  occasions, 
both  to  his  children,  to  strangers,  and  servants ;  a 
lover  of  hospitality ;  and,  in  brief,  of  a  singular 
and  Christian  moderation  in  all  his  actions  ;  not 
illiterate,  nor  obscure,  as,  having  continued  Justice 
of  the  Peace  and  of  the  Quorum,  he  served  his 
country  as  High  Sheriff,  being,  as  I  take  it,  the 
last  dignified  with  that  office  for  Sussex  and  Surrey 
together,  the  same  year,  before  their  separation.^ 
He  was  yet  a  studious  decliner  of  honours  and 
titles ;  being  already  in  that  esteem  with  his 
country,  that  they  could  have  added  little  to  him 
besides  their  burden.^  He  was  a  person  of  that 
rare  conversation  that,  upon  frequent  recollection, 
and  calling  to  mind  passages  of  his  life  and  dis- 
course, I  could  never  charge  him  with  the  least 
passion,  or  inadvertency.  His  estate  was  esteemed 
about  £4000  per  annum,  well  wooded,  and  full  of 
timber. 

^  Formerly  the  two  counties  had  in  general,  though  not 
invariably,  orJy  one  sheriff.  In  1637,  each  county  had  its  sheriff, 
and  so  it  has  continued  since. 

2  In  proof  of  Evelyn's  assertion  may  be  quoted  an  old  receij3t, 
found  at  Wotton :  '' R^,  the  29  Oct^  1630,  of  Rich^  Evlinge  of 
Wottone,  in  the  Countye  of  Surr'  Esq ;  by  waie  of  composic'one 
to  the  use  of  his  Ma*^^,  being  apoynted  by  his  Ma*'*  Collector  for 
the  same,  for  his  Fine  for  not  appearinge  at  the  tyme  &  place 
apoynted  for  receavinge  order  of  Kthood,  the  somme  of  fivetey 
pound  I  say  receaved.  Tho.  Crymes." 


]h  in/  r    iiill   '' 


■tantf 


# 


•>*/  ^ 


r; /ppcUand 


«,«|f  LecrJihlll'  'Ci)mmony  t  M-.^f^mm 


^ 


WoTTON     lloi'SE^   SUUKEY,  AND    ITS    Kn\  IRONS. 


Lmeri/  Wiilktr  sc 


i«20  JOHN  EVELYN  8 

My  mother's  name  was  Eleanor,^  sole  daughter 
and  heiress  of  John  Standsfield,  Esq.,  of  an  ancient 
and  honourable  family  (though  now  extinct)  in 
Shropshire,  by  his  wife  Eleanor  Comber,  of  a  good 
and  well-known  house  in  Sussex.  She  was  of 
proper  personage ;  of  a  brown  complexion ;  her 
eyes  and  hair  of  a  lovely  black ;  of  constitution 
more  inclined  to  a  religious  melancholy,  or  pious 
sadness ;  of  a  rare  memory,  and  most  exemplary 
life ;  for  economy  and  prudence,  esteemed  one  of 
the  most  conspicuous  in  her  country :  which 
rendered  her  loss  much  deplored,  both  by  those 
who  knew,  and  such  as  only  heard  of  her. 

Thus  much,  in  brief,  touching  my  parents ;  nor 
was  it  reasonable  I  should  speak  less  of  them  to 
whom  I  owe  so  much. 

The  place  of  my  birth  was  Wotton,  in  the 
parish  of  Wotton,  or  Blackheath,  in  the  county  of 
Surrey,  the  then  mansion-house  of  my  father,  left 
him  by  my  grandfather,^  afterwards  and  now 
my  eldest  brother's.^  It  is  situated  in  the  most 
southern  part  of  the  shire ;  *  and,  though  in  a 
valley,  yet  really  upon  part  of  Leith  Hill,  one  of 
the  most  eminent  in  England '"  for  the  prodigious 
prospect  to  be  seen  from  its  summit,  though  by 
few  observed.  From  it  may  be  discerned  twelve 
or  thirteen  counties,  with  part  of  the  sea  on  the 

1  She  was  born  l7th  November,  1598,  near  Lewes  in  Sussex. 

2  [George  Evelyn,  of  Long-Ditton,  d.  30th  May,  l603,  who 
had  purchased  it  in  1579  from  Henry  Owen.] 

3  [George  Evehni,  l6l7-99.] 

^  [The  parish  of  Wotton  (Wood-town ;  Odeton  or  Wodeton 
in  Domesday  Book)  "  is  about  nine  miles  in  extent,  from  north 
to  south,  but  seldom  exceeds  a  mile  in  breadth,  and  is  still 
narrower  towards  the  southern  extremity.  On  the  north,  it 
borders  on  Effingham ;  on  the  east,  on  Dorking  and  Ockley ; 
on  the  south,  on  Slinfold  and  Rudgwick,  in  Sussex ;  and  on 
the  west,  it  joins  Abinger"  (Brayley's  History  of  Surrey,  1850, 

^  [965  feet.     It  is  the  highest  point  in  the  county.] 


4  THE  DIARY  OF  1620 

coast  of  Sussex,  in  a  serene  day.  The  house  ^  is 
large  and  ancient,  suitable  to  those  hospitable 
times,  and  so  sweetly  environed  with  those 
delicious  streams  and  venerable  woods,  as  in  the 
judgment  of  strangers  as  well  as  Englishmen  it 
may  be  compared  to  one  of  the  most  pleasant 
seats  in  the  nation,  and  most  tempting  for  a  great 
person  and  a  wanton  purse  to  render  it  conspicuous. 
It  has  rising  grounds,  meadows,  woods,  and  water, 
in  abundance. 

The  distance  from  London  little  more  than 
twenty  miles,  and  yet  so  securely  placed,  as  if  it 
were  one  hundred ;  three  miles  from  Dorking, 
which  serves  it  abundantly  with  provision  as  well 
of  land  as  sea  ;  six  from  Guildford,  twelve  from 
Kingston.^  I  will  say  nothing  of  the  air,  because 
the  pre-eminence  is  universally  given  to  Surrey, 
the  soil  being  dry  and  sandy  ;  but  I  should  speak 
much  of  the  gardens,  fountains,  and  groves  that 
adorn  it,  were  they  not  as  generally  known  to  be 
amongst  the  most  natural,  and  (till  this  later  and 
universal  luxury  of  the  whole  nation,  since  abound- 
ing in  such  expenses)  the  most  magnificent  that 
England  afforded  ;  and  which  indeed  gave  one  of 
the  first  examples  to  that  elegancy,  since  so  much 
in  vogue,  and  followed  in  the  managing  of  their 
waters,  and  other  elegancies  of  that  nature.  Let 
me  add,  the  contiguity  of  five  or  six  manors,^ 
the  patronage   of  the  livings  about  it,  and  what 

1  [Wotton  House — an  irregular  brick  building — has  been  added 
to  at  various  times,  but  largely  in  1864,  when  a  muniment  room, 
which  also  serves  as  a  library,  was  built  (after  the  design  of  Mr. 
H.  Woodyer)  on  the  site  of  the  west  wing,  destroyed  by  fire 
about  1800.  Sketches  by  Evelyn,  still  preserved,  show  its 
aspect  in  l640,  l646,  l653,  and  1704.  The  present  owner  is 
William  John  Evelyn,  Esq.,  J.P.,  D.L.,  b.  1822.] 

2  Eight,  and  fourteen  ;  and  from  London  a  little  more  than 
twenty-six  measured  miles. 

^  Seven  manors,  two  advowsons,  and  a  chapel  of  ease  (Sir 
John  Cotton's). 


1620  JOHN  EVELYN  5 

Themistocles  pronounced  for  none  of  the  least 
advantages — the  good  neighbourhood.^  All  which 
conspire  here  to  render  it  an  honourable  and  hand- 
some royalty,  fit  for  the  present  possessor,  my 
worthy  brother,  and  his  noble  lady,^  whose  constant 
liberality  gives  them  title  both  to  the  place  and 
the  affections  of  all  that  know  them.  Thus,  with 
the  poet : 

Nescio  qua  natale  solum  dulcedine  captos 
Ducit,  et  immemores  non  sinit  esse  sui.^ 

I  had  given  me  the  name  of  my  grandfather, 
my  mother's  father,^  who,  together  with  a  sister 
of  Sir  Thomas  Evelyn  of  Long-Ditton,^  and 
Mr.  Comber,  a  near  relation  of  my  mother,  were 
my  susceptors.  The  solemnity  (yet  upon  what 
accident  I  know  not,  unless  some  indisposition  in 
me)  was  performed  in  the  dining-room  by  Parson 
Higham,*^  the  present  incumbent  of  the  parish, 
according  to  the  forms  prescribed  by  the  then 
glorious  Church  of  England.^ 

I  was  now  (in  regard  to  my  mother's  weakness, 
or  rather   custom  of  persons  of  quality)   put   to 

1  ["  Having  a  piece  of  land  he  [Themistocles]  would  sell,  he 
willed  the  crier  to  proclaim  open  'sale  of  it  in  the  market-place, 
and  with  all  he  should  add  unto  the  sale,  that  his  land  lay  by  a 
good  neighbour"  (North's  Plutarch,  Rouse's  ed.  1898,  ii.  29).] 

"  Lady  Cotton,  a  widow,  whom  Evelyn's  elder  brother,  George, 
took  for  his  second  wife,  his  first  wife  having  died  in  l644  (see 
post,  under  1 1  th  April,  1 640).  After  the  former  date,  therefore, 
this  portion  of  Evelyn's  "  Kalendarium "  must  have  been  written. 
See  s\so  post,  under  8th  August  l664. 

3  [Ovid,  Epist.  ex  Ponto,  Bk.  I.  Ep.  iii.  11.  35-SQ.  Evelyn  gives 
the  last  word  of  the  first  line  as  "  cunctos."] 

^  [John  Standsfield  (see  ante,  p.  3).] 

^  [Sir  Thomas  Evelyn,  1587-1669,  Evelyn's  cousin.  The  sister 
here  referred  to  was  Rose  Evelyn,  afterwards  the  wife  of  Thomas 
Keightley  of  Staffordshire  (see  post,  under  8th  March,  l681).] 

^  [See /;o.9^,  under  21st  August,  1652.] 

^  I  had  given  me  two  handsome  pieces  of  very  curiously 
wrought  and  gilt  plate. — Evelyn. 


6  THE  DIARY  OF 


1623 


nurse  to  one  Peter,  a  neighbour's  wife  and  tenant, 
of  a  good,  comely,  brown,  wholesome  complexion, 
and  in  a  most  sweet  place  towards  the  hills,  flanked 
with  wood  and  refreshed  with  streams ;  the  affec- 
tion to  which  kind  of  solitude  I  sucked  in  with  my 
very  milk.  It  appears,  by  a  note  of  my  father  s, 
that  I  sucked  till  17th  January,  1622  ;  or  at  least  I 
came  not  home  before/ 

1623.  The  very  first  thing  that  I  can  call  to 
memory,  and  from  which  time  forward  I  began  to 
observe,  was  this  year  (1623)  my  youngest  brother  "^ 
being  in  his  nurse's  arms,  who,  being  then  two 
days  and  nine  months  younger  than  myself,  was 
the  last  child  of  my  dear  parents. 

1624.  I  was  not  initiated  into  any  rudiments 
until  near  four  years  of  age,  and  then  one  Frier 
taught  us  at  the  church -porch  of  Wotton:^  and 
I  do  perfectly  remember  the  great  talk  and  stir 
about  II  Conde  Gondomar,  now  Ambassador  from 
Spain  (for  near  about  this  time  was  the  match  of 
our  Prince  with  the  Infanta  proposed) ;  and  the 
effects  of  that  comet,  1618,  still  working  in  the 
prodigious  revolutions  now  beginning  in  Europe, 
especially  in  Germany,  whose  sad  commotions 
sprang  from  the  Bohemians'  defection  from  the 
Emperor    Matthias :  *     upon    which    quarrel    the 

1  This  passage,  and  tlie  paragraphs  before  and  after  it,  were 
printed  for  the  first  time  in  tlie  edition  of  1850.  A  note  in  the 
edition  of  1857  (p.  4)  goes  on  to  say  :  "  Portions  of  the  preceding 
description  of  Wotton  are  also  first  taken  from  the  original  ;  and 
it  may  not  be  out  of  })lace  to  add  that,  more  especially  in  the 
first  fifty  pages  of  this  volume  [volume  i.  of  1857],  a  very  large 
number  of  curious  and  interesting  additions  are  made  to  Evelyn's 
text  from  the  Manuscri])t  of  the  Diary  at  Wotton." 

2  [Richard  Evelyn  of  Woodcote,  d.  1670.] 

2  [The  church-porch  at  Wotton  has  now  been  modernised  ; 
but  John  Coney's  sketch  of  1818,  here  reproduced,  shows  the 
window  of  a  small  room  over  the  door.] 

^  Evelyn  alludes  to  the  insurrection  of  the  Bohemians  on  the 
1^2th  of  May,    l6l8.      The   emperor  died   soon  after,   and   the 


1627  JOHN  EVELYN  7 

Swedes  broke  in,  giving  umbrage  to  the  rest  of 
the  princes,  and  the  whole  Christian  world  cause 
to  deplore  it,  as  never  since  enjoying  perfect 
tranquillity. 

1625.  I  was  this  year  (being  the  first  of  the 
reign  of  King  Charles)  sent  by  my  father  to 
Lewes,  in  Sussex,  to  be  with  my  grandfather, 
Standsfield,  with  whom  I  passed  my  childhood. 
This  was  the  year  in  which  the  pestilence  was 
so  epidemical,  that  there  died  in  London  5000 
a- week,  ^  and  I  well  remember  the  strict  watches 
and  examinations  upon  the  ways  as  we  passed ; 
and  I  was  shortly  after  so  dangerously  sick  of 
a  fever,  that  (as  I  have  heard)  the  physicians 
despaired  of  me. 

1626.  My  picture  was  drawn  in  oil  by  one 
Chanterell,  no  ill  painter. 

1627.  My  grandfather,  Standsfield,  died  this 
year,  on  the  5th  of  February  :  I  remember  per- 
fectly the  solemnity  at  his  funeral.  He  was 
buried  in  the  parish  church  of  All  Souls,  where 
my  grandmother,  his  second  wife,^  erected  him 
a  pious  monument.  About  this  time,  was  the 
consecration  of  the  Church  of  South  Mailing,  near 
Lewes,  by  Dr.  Field,  Bishop  of  Oxford  (one  Mr. 
Coxhall  preached,  who  was  afterwards  minister) ; 
the  building  whereof  was  chiefly  procured  by  my 

revolted  Bohemians  offered  the  crown  to  the  Elector  Palatine 
Frederic,  who  had  married  Elizabeth,  daughter  of  James  I.  ; 
whereupon  there  was  great  excitement  throughout  England,  in 
consequence  of  the  backwardness  of  the  King  to  assist  his  son- 
in-law  in  the  struggle  for  a  kingdom,  for  which  the  people 
wiUingly,  as  Evelyn  in  a  subsequent  page  informs  us,  made 
"large  contributions."  This  is  the  "talk  and  stir"  to  which 
Evelyn  has  just  alluded  in  connection  with  Count  Gondomar, 
whose  influence  had  been  used  with  James  to  withdraw  him 
from  the  Protestant  cause. 

1  [More  than  35,000  persons  are  said  to  have  perished  of  the 
plague  in  this  year.] 

2  [Eleanor  Comber  (see  ante,  p.  3).] 


8  THE  DIARY  OF  i628 

grandfather,  who  having  the  impropriation,  gave 
£20  a-year  out  of  it  to  this  church.  I  afterwards 
sold  the  impropriation.  I  laid  one  of  the  first 
stones  at  the  building  of  the  church. 

1628-30.  It  was  not  till  the  year  1628,  that  I 
was  put  to  learn  my  Latin  rudiments,  and  to 
write,  of  one  Citolin,  a  Frenchman,  in  Lewes. 
I  very  well  remember  that  general  muster  previous 
to  the  Isle  of  Rhe's  expedition,  and  that  I  was  one 
day  awakened  in  the  morning  with  the  news  of  the 
Duke  of  Buckingham  being  slain  by  that  wretch, 
Felton,  after  our  disgrace  before  La  Rochelle.^ 
And  I  now  took  so  extraordinary  a  fancy  to 
drawing  and  designing,  that  I  could  never  after 
wean  my  inclinations  from  it,  to  the  expense  of 
much  precious  time,  which  might  have  been  more 
advantageously  employed.  I  was  now  put  to 
school  to  one  Mr.  Potts,  in  the  ClifFe  at  Lewes, 
from  whom,  on  the  7th  of  January,  1630,  being 
the  day  after  Epiphany,  I  went  to  the  free-school 
at  Southover,  near  the  town,  of  which  one  Agnes 
Morley  had  been  the  foundress,  and  now  Edward 
Snatt  was  the  master,  under  whom  I  remained  till 
I  was  sent  to  the  University.^  This  year,  my 
grandmother  (with  whom  I  sojourned)  being 
married  to  one  Mr.  Newton,  a  learned  and  most 
religious  gentleman,  we  went  from  the  Chffe  to 
dwell  at  his  house  in  Southover.^  I  do  most 
perfectly  remember  the  jubilee  which  was  uni- 
versally expressed  for  the  happy  birth  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  29th  of  May,  now  Charles  the 
Second,  our  most  gracious  Sovereign. 

1  [23rd  August,  l628.] 

2  Long  afterwards,  Evelyn  was  in  the  habit  of  paying  great 
respect  to  this  early  teacher.  [In  May,  l657,  Snatt  wrote  from 
Lewes  a  rapturous  letter  thanking  his  old  pupil  for  a  presentation 
copy  of  the  Essay  on  the  First  Book  of  T.  Lucretius  Cams  de 
Reriwi  Natura,  l656.] 

3  [Southover  and  Cliffe  are  suburbs  of  Lewes.] 


1632  JOHN  EVELYN  9 

1631.  There  happened  now  an  extraordinary 
dearth  in  England,  corn  bearing  an  excessive 
price ;  and,  in  imitation  of  what  I  had  seen  my 
father  do,  I  began  to  observe  matters  more 
punctually,  which  I  did  use  to  set  down  in  a 
blank  almanack.^  The  Lord  of  Castlehavens 
arraignment  for  many  shameful  exorbitances  was 
now  all  the  talk,^  and  the  birth  of  the  Princess 
Mary,  afterwards  Princess  of  Orange.^ 

1632:  21st  October.  My  eldest  sister^  was 
married  to  Edward  Darcy,  Esq.,  who  little 
deserved  so  excellent  a  person,  a  woman  of  so 
rare  virtue.  I  was  not  present  at  the  nuptials  ; 
but  I  was  soon  afterwards  sent  for  into  Surrey, 
and  my  father  would  willingly  have  weaned  me 
from  my  fondness  of  my  too  indulgent  grand- 
mother, intending  to  have  placed  me  at  Eton : 
but,  not  being  so  provident  for  my  own  benefit, 
and  unreasonably  terrified  with  the  report  of  the 
severe  discipline  there,  I  was  sent  back  to  Lewes ; 
which  perverseness  of  mine  I  have  since  a  thousand 
times  deplored.  This  was  the  first  time  that  ever 
my  parents  had  seen  all  their  children  together  in 
prosperity.  While  I  was  now  trifling  at  home, 
I  saw  London,  where  I  lay  one  night  only.  The 
next  day,  I  dined  at  Beddington,^  where  I  was 
much  delighted  with  the  gardens  and  curiosities. 
Thence,    we   returned    to    the    Lady    Darcy's,    at 

^  [This  no  doubt  was  the  beginning  of  the  Meinoirs.] 
^  Mervyn  Touchet,  twelfth  Lord  Audley  and  second  Earl  of 
Castlehaven,   1592-1631.     He    was    tried  by  his  peers   for   his 
nameless    "exorbitances"    in    Westminster    Hall,   and   in    pur- 
suance of  their  sentence^  executed  on  Tower  Hill^  May  14,  1631. 


3  [6th  November,  l631.] 

4  [EHz  "     " 


izabeth  (see  ante,  p.   1).     Her  husband  is  described  as 
"of  Dartford,  in  Kent."] 

^  [Beddington  House,  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Carews,  now 
the  Female  Orphan  Asylum,  founded  in  1758  by  the  exertions 
of  blind  Sir  John  Fielding,  the  novelist's  brother  (see  post,  under 
20th  September,  1700).] 


10  THE  DIARY  OF  less 

Sutton  ;  thence  to  Wotton ;  and,  on  the  16th  of 
August  following,  1633,  back  to  Lewes. 

1633 :  S7^d  November.  This  year  my  father 
was  appointed  Sheriff,  the  last,  as  I  think,  who 
served  in  that  honourable  office  for  Surrey  and 
Sussex,  before  they  were  disjoined/  He  had  116 
servants  in  liveries,  every  one  liveried  in  green 
satin  doublets ;  divers  gentlemen  and  persons  of 
quality  waited  on  him  in  the  same  garb  and  habit, 
which  at  that  time  (when  thirty  or  forty  was  the 
usual  retinue  of  the  High  Sheriff)  was  esteemed 
a  great  matter.^  Nor  was  this  out  of  the  least 
vanity  that  my  father  exceeded  (who  was  one  of 
the  greatest  decliners  of  it) ;  but  because  he  could 
not  refuse  the  civility  of  his  friends  and  relations, 
who  voluntarily  came  themselves,  or  sent  in  their 
servants.  But  my  father  was  afterwards  most 
unjustly  and  spitefully  molested  by  that  jeering 
judge,  Richardson,^  for  reprieving  the  execution 
of  a  woman,  to  gratify  my  Lord  of  Lindsey,  then 
Admiral :  ^    but  out  of  this  he  emerged  with  as 

1  [See  mite,  p.  2  w.] 

-  Brayley  adds  some  sumptuary  details.  They  had  "cloth 
cloaks,  guarded  with  silver  galoon,  as  were  their  hat  brims,  with 
white  feathers  in  them."  They  had  also  "new  javelins,"  and 
were  preceded  by  "  two  trumpeters  with  banners,  on  which  were 
blazoned  his  [Richard  Evelyn's]  arms"  (^Histori/  of  Siarey,  1850, 
p.  21  ;^).] 

3  Sir  Thomas  Richardson,  \56d-lQS5,  Chief- Justice  of  the 
Common  Pleas  in  1626,  and  of  the  King's  Bench  in  1631. 
One  of  his  acts  was  an  order  against  keeping  wakes  on  Sundays, 
which  Laud,  then  Bishop  of  Bath  and  Wells,  took  up  as  an 
infringement  of  the  rights  of  bishops,  and  got  him  severely 
reprimanded  at  the  Council-table.  He  was  owner  of  Starborough 
Castle,  Lingfield,  Surrey,  the  ancient  seat  of  the  Cobhams.  A 
modern  house  now  occupies  the  site. 

4  Robert  Bertie,  1572-1642,  first  Earl  of  Lindsey.  He  was  at 
different  times  Lord  High  Chamberlain,  Lord  High  Admiral, 
and  Governor  of  Berwick ;  and  was  general  of  the  King's  forces 
at  the  breaking  out  of  the  Civil  War.  He  was  in  command  at 
the  Battle  of  Edgehill,  in   1642;  but,  opposing  Prince  Rupert's 


1635  JOHN  EVELYN  11 

much  honour  as  trouble.  The  King  made  this 
year  his  progress  into  Scotland,^  and  Duke  James 
was  born.- 

1634  :  15///  December,  My  dear  sister,  Darcy,^ 
departed  this  life,  being  arrived  to  her  20th  year 
of  age ;  in  virtue  advanced  beyond  her  years,  or 
the  merit  of  her  husband,  the  worst  of  men. 
She  had  been  brought  to  bed  the  2nd  of  June 
before,  but  the  infant  died  soon  after  her,  the  24th 
of  December.  I  was  therefore  sent  for  home  the 
second  time,  to  celebrate  the  obsequies  of  my 
sister ;  who  was  interred  in  a  very  honourable 
manner  in  our  dormitory  joining  to  the  parish 
church,  where  now  her  monument  stands.* 

1635.  But  my  dear  mother  being  now  danger- 
ously sick,  I  was,  on  the  3rd  of  September 
following,  sent  for  to  Wotton.  Whom  I  found 
so  far  spent,  that,  all  human  assistance  failing,  she 
in  a  most  heavenly  manner  departed  this  life  upon 
the  29th  of  the  same  month,  about  eight  in  the 
evening  of  INlichaelmas  Day.  It  was  a  malignant 
fever  which  took  her  away,  about  the  37th  of  her 
age,  and  22nd  of  her  marriage,  to  our  irreparable 
loss,  and  the  regret  of  all  that  knew  her.  Certain 
it  is,  that  the  visible  cause  of  her  indisposition 
proceeded  from  grief  upon  the  loss  of  her  daughter, 
and   the   infant,    that    followed   it ;    and   it   is    as 

pretensions,  he  surrendered  a  responsibility  which  the  weakness 
of  Charles  would  have  had  him  divide  with  a  "boy,"  put  himself 
at  the  head  of  his  regiment,  fought  with  heroic  gallantr}',  and 
fell  covered  with  wounds. 

1  [He  was  crowned  there,  18th  June.] 

2  James,  Duke  of  York,  loth  October.] 

3  See  ante,  p.  9-] 

^  She  is  shown,  with  her  inftxnt  beneath  her,  "leaning 
mournfully  on  her  elbow,"  says  Brayley  (Historij  of  Surrey,  1850, 
V.  41).  Her  husband  afterwards  married  the  Lady  Elizabeth 
Stanhope,  daughter  of  the  Earl  of  Chesterfield.  "  He  ruined 
both  himself  and  Estate  by  his  dissolute  Life  "  (Evelyn's  note 
to  Aubrey).] 


12  THE  DIARY  OF  i635 

certain,  that  when  she  perceived  the  peril  whereto 
its  excess  had  engaged  her,  she  strove  to  compose 
herself  and  allay  it ;  but  it  was  too  late,  and  she 
was  forced  to  succumb.  Therefore,  summoning 
all  her  children  then  living  (I  shall  never  forget 
it),  she  expressed  herself  in  a  manner  so  heavenly, 
with  instructions  so  pious  and  Christian,  as  made 
us  strangely  sensible  of  the  extraordinary  loss  then 
imminent ;  after  which,  embracing  every  one  of 
us,  she  gave  to  each  a  ring  with  her  blessing,  and 
dismissed  us.  Then,  taking  my  father  by  the 
hand,  she  recommended  us  to  his  care ;  and, 
because  she  was  extremely  zealous  for  the  educa- 
tion of  my  younger  brother,^  she  requested  my 
father  that  he  might  be  sent  with  me  to  Lewes  ; 
and  so,  having  importuned  him  that  what  he 
designed  to  bestow  on  her  funeral,  he  would  rather 
dispose  among  the  poor,  she  laboured  to  compose 
herself  for  the  blessed  change  which  she  now 
expected.  There  was  not  a  servant  in  the  house 
whom  she  did  not  expressly  send  for,  advise,  and 
infinitely  affect  with  her  counsel.  Thus  she  con- 
tinued to  employ  her  intervals,  either  instructing 
her  relations,  or  preparing  of  herself. 

Though  her  physicians.  Dr.  Meverall,-  Dr. 
Clement,  and  Dr.  Rand,^  had  given  over  all  hopes 
of  her  recovery,  and  Sir  Sanders  Duncombe^  had 
tried  his  celebrated  and  famous  powder,  yet  she 
was  many  days  impairing,  and  endured  the  sharpest 
conflicts  of  her  sickness  with  admirable  patience 
and  most  Christian  resignation,  retaining  both  her 
intellectuals  and  ardent  affections  for  her  dissolu- 
tion, to  the  very  article  of  her  departure.     When 

^  [Richard,  then  thirteen  (see  ante,  p.  1  ;?.).] 

2  [Perhaps  Othowell  Meverall,  1585-1648,  lecturer  to  the 
Barber  Surgeons,  and  afterwards  President  of  the  College  of 
Physicians.] 

3  [Dr.  R.  Rand  {see  post,  under  5th  March,  l657).] 
■*  [See  y;o.v/,  under  8th  February,  l645.] 


1637  JOHN  EVELYN  13 

near  her  dissolution,  she  laid  her  hand  on  every 
one  of  her  children  ;  and,  taking  solemn  leave  of 
my  father,  with  elevated  heart  and  eyes,  she  quietly 
expired,  and  resigned  her  soul  to  God.  Thus 
ended  that  prudent  and  pious  woman,  in  the  flower 
of  her  age,  to  the  inconsolable  affliction  of  her 
husband,  irreparable  loss  of  her  children,  and 
universal  regret  of  all  that  knew  her.  She  was 
interred,  as  near  as  might  be,  to  her  daughter, 
Darcy,  the  3rd  of  October,  at  night,  but  with  no 
mean  ceremony.^ 

It  was  the  3rd  of  the  ensuing  November,  after 
my  brother  George  was  gone  back  to  Oxford,  ere 
I  returned  to  Lewes,  when  I  made  way,  according 
to  instructions  received  of  my  father,  for  my 
brother  Richard,  who  was  sent  the  12th  after. 

1636.  This  year  being  extremely  dry,  the 
pestilence  much  increased  in  London,  and  divers 
parts  of  England.^ 

1637:  IMh  February.  I  was  especially  admitted 
(and,  as  I  remember,  my  other  brother)  into  the 
Middle  Temple,  London,  though  absent,  and  as 
yet  at  school.  There  were  now  large  contributions 
to  the  distressed  Palatinates.^ 

The  10th  of  December  my  father  sent  a  servant 
to  bring  us  necessaries ;  and,  the  plague  beginning 
now  to  cease,  on  the  3rd  of  April,  1637,  I  left 
school,  where,  till  about  the  last  year,  1  have  been 
extremely  remiss  in  my  studies  ;  so  as  I  went  to 
the   University   rather   out   of  shame   of   abiding 

1  [On  her  mural  monument  in  the  Wotton  Dormitory,  she  is 
described  as  "a  rare  example  of  Piety,  Loyalty,  Prudence,  and 
Charity,"  and  the  inscription  ends  with  the  couplet : — 

Of  her  great  worth  to  know,  who  seeketh  more, 
Must  mount  to  Heaven,  where  she  is  gone  before.] 

2  In  a  letter  dated  26th  July  in  this  year,  George  Evelyn, 
John's  elder  brother,  writing  to  their  father,  describes,  with 
many  curious  details,  a  Royal  visit  to  Oxford  University  (see 
Appendix  I.).  ^  [See  ante,  p.  6,  n.  4.] 


14  THE  DIARY  OF  1637 

longer  at  school,  than  for  any  fitness,  as  by  sad 
experience  I  found  :  which  put  me  to  re-learn  all 
that  I  had  neglected,  or  but  perfunctorily  gained. 

lOtli  May,  I  was  admitted  a  Fellow-commoner 
of  Balliol  College,  Oxford ;  ^  and,  on  the  29th,  I 
was  matriculated  in  the  vestry  of  St.  JNIary's,  where 
I  subscribed  the  Articles,  and  took  the  oaths : 
Dr.  Baily,  head  of  St.  John  s,  being  vice-chancellor, 
afterwards  bishop.  It  appears  by  a  letter  of  my 
father's,  that  he  was  upon  treaty  with  one  JMr. 
Bathurst  (afterwards  Doctor  and  President),  of 
Trinity  College,  who  should  have  been  my  tutor  ; 
but,  lest  my  brother's  tutor.  Dr.  Hobbs,  more 
zealous  in  his  life  than  industrious  to  his  pupils, 
should  receive  it  as  an  affront,  and  especially  for 
that  Fellow-commoners  in  Balliol  were  no  more 
exempt  from  exercise  than  the  meanest  scholars 
there,  my  father  sent  me  thither  to  one  JNIr.  George 
Bradshaw  (nomeii  irwisurn ! "-  yet  the  son  of  an 
excellent  father,  beneficed  in  Surrey).^  I  ever 
thought  my  tutor  had  parts  enough  ;  but,  as  his 
ambition  made  him  much  suspected  of  the  College, 
so  his  grudge  to  Dr.  Lawrence,^  the  governor  of  it 
(whom  he  afterwards  supplanted),  took  up  so  much 
of  his  time,  that  he  seldom  or  never  had  the 
opportunity  to  discharge  his  duty  to  his  scholars.^ 
This  I  perceiving,  associated  myself  with  one 
Mr.  James  Thick n esse  (then  a  young  man  of  the 
foundation,  afterwards  a  Fellow  of  the  house ),'^  by 

1  [See  joo.y/,  under  9th  July,  l654.] 

2  [Being  that  of  the  regicide,  John  Bradshaw.] 
2  Rector  of  Ockham. 

*  [Dr.  Thomas  Lawrence,  1598-1657,  was  Master  from  1637 
to  1648.] 

^  [George  Bradshaw  was  the  spy  and  delegate  of  the 
Parliamentary  Visitors.  He  became  Master  in  l648,  succeeding 
La^vrence.] 

^  [James  Thicknes  or  Thickens,  according  to  the  college 
books.     He  became  a  Probationer  Fellow  in  16^9.     In  1648  he 


1637  JOHN  EVELYN  15 

whose  learned  and  friendly  conversation  I  received 
great  advantage.  At  my  first  arrival,  Dr.  Park- 
hurst  was  master ;  ^  and,  after  his  decease.  Dr. 
Lawrence,  a  chaplain  of  his  Majesty's  and  Margaret 
Professor,  succeeded,  an  acute  and  learned  person  : 
nor  do  I  much  reproach  his  severity,  considering 
that  the  extraordinary  remissness  of  discipline  had 
(till  his  coming)  much  detracted  from  the  reputa- 
tion of  that  College. 

There  came  in  my  time  to  the  College  one 
Nathaniel  Conopios,  out  of  Greece,  from  Cyril, 
the  patriarch  of  Constantinople,  who,  returning 
many  years  after,  was  made  (as  I  understand) 
Bishop  of  Smyrna.^  He  was  the  first  I  ever  saw 
drink  coffee  ;  which  custom  came  not  into  England 
till  thirty  years  after.  ^ 

After  I  was  somewhat  settled  there  in  my 
formalities  (for  then  was  the  University  exceedingly 
regular,  under  the  exact  discipline  of  A¥illiam 
Laud,  Archbishop  of  Canterbury,  then  Chancellor), 
I  added,  as  benefactor  to  the  library  of  the  College, 
these  books — ''ex  dono  Johannis  Evelyni,  hiijus 
Call  Socio- Co?}imensalis,  filii  Ric/iardi  Evelyni,  e 
com.  Surriae,  armig'r — 

Zanchii  Opera,  vols.  1,  2,  3. 

Graiiado  in  Thomam  Aquiiiatem,  vols.  1,  2,  3. 

Novarini  Electa  Sacra,  and  Cresolii  Anthologia 

was  ejected  by  the  Parliamentary  Visitors  for  loyalty ;  but  he 
was  reinstated  at  the  Restoration  by  special  Writ  from  the 
Crown  (Davis's  Balliol  College,  1899,  pp.  127,  137,  146).] 

1  [Dr.  John  Parkhiirst,  1564-1639,  was  Master  of  Balliol  from 
I6l6  to  1637.] 

2  [Conopios  or  Conopius  is  also  said  by  one  of  Evelyrfs  college 
contemporaries,  Dr.  Henry  Savage,  to  have  professed  to  be  a 
composer  of  music,  which  would  attract  Evelyn  to  him,  if  it  were 
true.  But  he  lay  under  the  disadvantage  of  being  a  Cretan 
(Davis's  Balliol  College,  1899,  p.  115).] 

3  [Coffee  was  introduced  in  1641.  The  first  coffee-house  in 
England  was  at  Oxford,  l650;  the  first  in  London,  l652.] 


16  THE  DIARY  OF  1637 

Sacra ;  authors,  it  seems,  much  desired  by  the 
students  of  divinity  there. ^ 

Upon  the  2nd  of  July,  being  the  first  Sunday 
of  the  month,  I  first  received  the  blessed  Sacra- 
ment of  the  Lord's  Supper,  in  the  college  chapel, 
one  Mr.  Cooper,  a  Fellow  of  the  house,  preaching ; 
and  at  this  time  was  the  Church  of  England  in  her 
greatest  splendour,  all  things  decent,  and  becoming 
the  Peace,  and  the  persons  that  governed.  The 
most  of  the  following  week  I  spent  in  visiting  the 
Colleges,  and  several  rarities  of  the  University, 
which  do  very  much  affect  young  comers. 

ISth  July,  I  accompanied  my  eldest  brother, 
who  then  quitted  Oxford,  into  the  country ;  and, 
on  the  9th  of  August,  went  to  visit  my  friends  at 
Lewes,  whence  I  returned  the  12th  to  Wotton. 
On  the  17th  of  September,  I  received  the  blessed 
Sacrament  at  Wotton  Church,  and  23rd  of  October 
went  back  to  Oxford. 

5th  November,  I  received  again  the  Holy 
Communion  in  our  college  chapel,  one  Prouse,  a 
Fellow  (but  a  mad  one),  preaching. 

9//^  December,  I  offered  at  my  first  exercise  in 
the  Hall,  and  answered  my  opponent ;  and,  upon 
the  11th  following,  declaimed  in  the  chapel  before 
the  Master,  Fellows,  and  Scholars,  according  to 
the  custom.  The  15th  after,  I  first  of  all  opposed 
in  the  Hall. 

The  Christmas  ensuing,  being  at  a  Comedy 
which  the  gentlemen  of  Exeter  College  presented 
to  the  University,  and  standing,  for  the  better 
advantage  of  seeing,  upon  a  table  in  the  Hall, 
which  was  near  to  another,  in  the  dark,  being 
constrained  by  the  extraordinary  press  to  quit  my 

^  [This  was  in  addition  to  the  usual  money  contribution  which 
Fellow  Commoners  had  to  make  for  plate.  In  l697,  Evelyn 
also  gave  the  College  his  Discourse  on  Medals  (Davis,  ut  supra, 
p.  128).] 


1638  JOHN  EVELYN  17 

station,  in  leaping  down  to  save  myself  I  dashed 
my  right  leg  with  such  violence  against  the  sharp 
edge  of  the  other  board,  as  gave  me  a  hurt  which 
held  me  in  cure  till  almost  Easter,  and  confined  me 
to  my  study. 

1638 :  22nd  January,  I  would  needs  be  ad- 
mitted into  the  dancing  and  vaulting  schools ;  of 
which  late  activity  one  Stokes,  the  master,  did 
afterwards  set  forth  a  pretty  book,  which  was 
published,  with  many  witty  eulogies  before  it.^ 

Mh  February,  One  Mr.  Wariner  preached  in 
our  chapel ;  and,  on  the  25th,  Mr.  Wentworth,  a 
kinsman  of  the  Earl  of  Strafford;'  after  which 
followed  the  blessed  Sacrament. 

ISth  ApiiL  My  father  ordered  that  I  should 
begin  to  manage  my  own  expenses,  which  till  then 
my  tutor  had  done ;  at  which  I  was  much 
satisfied. 

9/A  July.  I  went  home  to  visit  my  friends,  and, 
on  the  26th,  with  my  brother  and  sister  to  Lewes, 
where  we  abode  till  the  31st ;  and  thence  to  one 
Mr.  Michael's,  of  Houghton,  near  Arundel,  where 
we  were  very  well  treated ;  and,  on  the  2nd  of 
August,  to  Portsmouth,  and  thence,  having 
surveyed  the  fortifications  (a  great  rarity  in  that 
blessed  halcyon  time  in  England),  we  passed  into 
the  Isle  of  Wight,  to  the  house  of  my  Lady 
Richards,  in  a  place  called  Yaverland ;  ^    but  we 

1  Now  extremely  scarce.  Its  title  is : — " The  Vaulting-Master  : 
or.  The  Art  of  Vaulting.  Reduced  to  a  Method,  comprized  under 
certaine  Rules,  Illustrated  by  Examples,  And  Now  primarily  set 
forth,  by  Will:  Stokes.  Printed  for  Richard  Davis,  in  Oxon, 
1652."  It  is  a  small  oblong  quarto,  with  the  author's  portrait 
prefixed,  and  a  number  of  plates  beautifully  engraved  (most 
probably  by  George  Glover),  representing  feats  of  activity  on 
horseback. 

2  [Peter  Wentworth,  Lord  Strafford's  cousin.  He  was  Dean 
of  Armagh,  1636-37.] 

3  [A  village  on  Sandown  Bay.] 

VOL.  I  c 


18  THE  DIARY  OF  i639 

returned  the  following  day  to  Chichester,  where, 
having  viewed  the  city  and  fair  cathedral,  we 
returned  home. 

About  the  beginning  of  September,  I  was  so 
afflicted  with  a  quartan  ague,  that  I  could  by  no 
means  get  rid  of  it  till  the  December  following. 
This  was  the  fatal  year  wherein  the  rebellious 
Scots  opposed  the  King,  upon  the  pretence  of  the 
introduction  of  some  new  ceremonies  and  the 
Book  of  Common  Prayer,  and  madly  began  our 
confusions,  and  their  own  destruction,  too,  as  it 
proved  in  event/ 

1639  :  \Uk  January,  I  came  back  to  Oxford, 
after  my  tedious  indisposition,  and  to  the  infinite 
loss  of  my  time ;  and  now  I  began  to  look  upon 
the  rudiments  of  music,  in  which  I  afterwards 
arrived  to  some  formal  knowledge,  though  to  small 
perfection  of  hand,  because  I  was  so  frequently 
diverted  with  inclinations  to  newer  trifles. 

20^/i  May,  Accompanied  with  one  Mr.  J. 
CrafFord  (who  afterwards  being  my  fellow-traveller 
in  Italy,  there  changed  his  religion),^  I  took  a 
journey  of  pleasure  to  see  the  Somersetshire  baths, 
Bristol,  Cirencester,  Malmesbury,  Abingdon,  and 
divers  other  towns  of  lesser  note ;  and  returned 
the  25th. 

%tli  October,  I  went  back  to  Oxford. 

14/A  December,  According  to  injunctions  from 
the  Heads  of  Colleges,  I  went  (amongst  the  rest) 
to  the  Confirmation  in  St.  Mary's,^  where,  after 
sermon,  the  Bishop  of  Oxford  *  laid  his  hands  upon 
us,  with  the  usual  form  of  benediction  prescribed  : 

^  This  passage  appears  first  in  the  edition  of  1850;  but  Evelyn 
saw  reason  afterwards  somewhat  to  change  his  tone.  See  post, 
under  4th  February,  l685. 

2     He  is  not  mentioned  again  in  the  Diary.] 

^    St.  Mary  Magdalen, — the  parish  church.] 

4  [Dr.  John  Bancroft,  1574-1640,  Bishop  of  Oxford,  1632-40.] 


1640  JOHN  EVELYN  19 

but  this,  received  (I  fear)  for  the  more  part  out  of 
curiosity,  rather  than  with  that  due  preparation 
and  advice  which  had  been  requisite,  could  not  be 
so  effectual  as  otherwise  that  admirable  and  useful 
institution  might  have  been,  and  as  I  have  since 
deplored  it. 

1640  :  21st  Januarnj,  Came  my  brother,  Richard, 
from  school,  to  be  my  chamber -fellow  at  the 
University.  He  was  admitted  the  next  day,  and 
matriculated  the  31st. 

Wth  April,  I  went  to  London  to  see  the 
solemnity  of  his  Majesty's  riding  through  the  city 
in  state  to  the  Short  Parliament,  which  began  the 
13th  following, — a  very  glorious  and  magnificent 
sight,  the  King  circled  with  his  royal  diadem  and 
the  affections  of  his  people :  ^  but  the  day  after  I 
returned  to  Wotton  again,  where  I  stayed,  my 
father's  indisposition  suffering  great  intervals,  till 
April  27th,  when  I  was  sent  to  London  to  be  first 
resident  at  the  Middle  Temple  :  so  as  my  being  at 
the  University,  in  regard  of  these  avocations,  was 
of  very  small  benefit  to  me.  Upon  May  the  5th 
following,  was  the  Parliament  unhappily  dissolved ; 
and,  on  the  20th,  I  returned  with  my  brother 
George  to  Wotton,  who,  on  the  28th  of  the  same 
month,  was  married  at  Albury  to  Mrs.  Caldwell 
(an  heiress  of  an  ancient  Leicestershire  family),'^ 
where  part  of  the  nuptials  was  celebrated. 

10th  June,  I  repaired  with  my  brother  to  the 
term,  to  go  into  our  new  lodgings  (that  were 
formerly  in  Essex-court),  being  a  very  handsome 
apartment  just  over  against  the  Hall-court,  but 
four    pair    of    stairs    high,    which    gave    us    the 

^  [This  instance  of  syllepsis  is  rather  rare  in  Evelyn.] 
2  Mary,  daughter  of  Daniel  Caldwell  of  Horndon,  in  Essex, 
by  Mary,  daughter  of  George  Duncomb,  Esq.,  of  Albury.     She 
died  15th  May,  l644,  and  he  afterwards  married  Lady  Cotton 
(see  ante,  p.  5). 


20  THE  DIARY  OF  ma 

advantage  of  the  fairer  prospect ;  but  did  not 
much  contribute  to  the  love  of  that  impolished 
study,  to  which  (I  suppose)  my  father  had  designed 
me,  when  he  paid  £145  to  purchase  our  present 
lives,  and  assignments  afterwards. 

London,  and  especially  the  Court,  were  at  this 
period  in  frequent  disorders,  and  great  insolences 
were  committed  by  the  abused  and  too  happy 
City ;  in  particular,  the  Bishop  of  Canterbury's 
Palace  at  Lambeth  was  assaulted  by  a  rude  rabble 
from  South  wark,^  my  Lord  Chamberlain  im- 
prisoned, and  many  scandalous  libels  and  invectives 
scattered  about  the  streets,  to  the  reproach  of 
Government,  and  the  fermentation  of  our  since 
distractions :  so  that,  upon  the  25th  of  June,  I 
was  sent  for  to  Wotton,  and  the  27th  after,  my 
father's  indisposition  augmenting,  by  advice  of  the 
physicians  he  repaired  to  the  Bath. 

1th  July,  My  brother  George  and  I,  under- 
standing the  peril  my  father  was  in  upon  a  sudden 
attack  of  his  infirmity,  rode  post  from  Guildford 
towards  him,  and  found  him  extraordinary  weak ; 
yet  so  as  that,  continuing  his  course,  he  held  out 
till  the  8th  of  September,  w^hen  I  returned  home 
w^ith  him  in  his  litter. 

\5th  October,  I  went  to  the  Temple,  it  being 
Michaelmas  Term. 

SOtJh  I  saw  his  Majesty  (coming  from  his 
Northern  Expedition)  ride  in  pomp  and  a  kind  of 
ovation,   with   all   the   marks   of  a   happy   peace, 

1  ["  At  Lambeth  mye  house  was  beset  at  midnight,  Maij  11, 
with  500  people  that  came  thither  with  a  drumme  beatinge  before 
them.  I  had  some  Httle  notice  of  it  about  2  hoMres  before,  and 
went  to  Whit-Hall,  leavinge  mye  house  as  well  ordred  as  1 
could  with  such  armes  and  men  as  I  could  gett  readye.  And  I 
thanke  God,  bye  his  goodnes,  kept  all  safe.  Some  wear  taken 
and  to  be  tryed  for  their  lives." — Archbishop  Laud  to  Lord  Conway, 
May  25,  1640.  {Gentlevinn's  Magazine,  April,  1850,  p.  349.)  One 
man  was  excuted,  23rd  May.] 


1G41 


JOHN  EVELYN  21 


restored  to  the  affections  of  his  people,  being 
conducted  through  London  with  a  most  splendid 
cavalcade;  and,  on  the  8rd  November  following 
(a  day  never  to  be  mentioned  without  a  curse),  to 
that  long  luigrateful,  foolish,  and  fatal  Parliament,^ 
the  beginning  of  all  our  sorrows  for  twenty  years 
after,  and  the  period  of  the  most  happy  monarch 
in  the  world  :  Qtm  taUafando  I 

But  my  father  being  by  this  time  entered  into 
a  dropsy,  an  indisposition  the  most  unsuspected, 
being  a  person  so  exemplarily  temperate,  and  of 
admirable  regimen,  hastened  me  back  to  Wotton, 
December  the  12th ;  where,  the  24th  following, 
between  twelve  and  one  o'clock  at  noon,  departed 
this  life  that  excellent  man  and  indulgent  parent, 
retaining  his  senses  and  piety  to  the  last,  which  he 
most  tenderly  expressed  in  blessing  us,  whom  he 
now  left  to  the  world  and  the  worst  of  times, 
whilst  he  was  taken  from  the  evil  to  come. 

1641.  It  was  a  sad  and  lugubrious  beginning  of 
the  year,  when,  on  the  2nd  of  January,  1640-1,  we 
at  night  followed  the  mourning  hearse  to  the 
church  at  Wotton  ;  when,  after  a  sermon  and 
funeral  oration  by  the  minister,^  my  father  was 
interred  near  his  formerly  erected  monument,^  and 
mingled  with  the  ashes  of  our  mother,  his  dear 
wife.  Thus  we  were  bereft  of  both  our  parents  in 
a  period  when  we  most  of  all  stood  in  need  of  their 
counsel  and  assistance,  especially  myself,  of  a  raw, 
vain,  uncertain,  and  very  unwary  inclination  :  but 
so  it  pleased  God  to  make  trial  of  my  conduct  in  a 
conjuncture  of  the  greatest  and  most  prodigious 

^  [The  Long  Parliament.  Its  first  deliberations  were  occupied 
with  the  trial  of  Strafford  and  the  impeachment  of  Laud.  Its 
last  sitting  took  place  March  l6,  l66().  It  was  dissolved  and 
determined,  12  Car.  II.  c.  i.] 

2  [Mr.  Higham.     See  ante,  p.  5.] 

8  "On  the  north  wall  of  the  Wotton  Dormitory.  His  epitaph 
says  he  died  on  the  20th  December.] 


22  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

hazard  that  ever  the  youth  of  England  saw ;  and, 
if  I  did  not  amidst  all  this  impeach  my  Hberty  nor 
my  virtue  with  the  rest  who  made  shipwreck  of 
both,  it  was  more  the  infinite  goodness  and  mercy 
of  God  than  the  least  providence  or  discretion  of 
mine  own,  who  now  thought  of  nothing  but  the 
pursuit  of  vanity,  and  the  confused  imaginations  of 
young  men. 

15th  April  I  repaired  to  London  to  hear  and 
see  the  famous  trial  of  the  Earl  of  Strafford,  Lord- 
Deputy  of  Ireland,  who,  on  the  22nd  of  March, 
had  been  summoned  before  both  Houses  of  Parlia- 
ment, and  now  appeared  in  Westminster  -  hall,^ 
which  was  prepared  with  scaffolds  for  the  Lords 
and  Commons,  who,  together  with  the  King, 
Queen,  Prince,  and  flower  of  the  noblesse,  were 
spectators  and  auditors  of  the  greatest  malice  and 
the  greatest  innocency  that  ever  met  before  so 
illustrious  an  assembly.  It  was  Thomas,  Earl  of 
Arundel  and  Surrey,  Earl  Marshal  of  England, 
who  was  made  High  Steward  upon  this  occasion  ;^ 
and  the  sequel  is  too  well  known  to  need  any 
notice  of  the  event. 

On  the  27th  April,  came  over  out  of  Holland 
the    young   Prince    of    Orange,    with    a   splendid 

^  On  the  15tli  April,  Strafford  made  his  eloquent  defence, 
at  which  it  seems  to  have  been  Evelyn's  good  fortune  to  be 
present.  And  here — says  Forster — the  reader  may  remark  the 
fact,  not  without  significance,  that  between  the  entries  on  this 
page  of  the  Diary  which  relate  to  Lord  Strafford,  the  young 
Prince  of  Orange  came  over  to  make  love  to  the  Princess  Royal, 
then  twelve  years  old ;  and  that  the  marriage  was  subsequently 
celebrated  amid  extraordinary  Court  rejoicings  and  festivities,  in 
which  the  King  took  a  prominent  part,  during  the  short  interval 
which  elapsed  between  the  sentence  and  execution  of  the  King's 
great  and  unfortunate  minister. 

^  [This  was  Thomas  Howard,  second  Earl,  1586-1646.  He 
had  been  Earl  Marshal  since  1621.  In  1636  (as  stated  below), 
he  went  to  Vienna  to  urge  the  restitution  of  the  Palatinate  to 
the  nephew  of  Charles  I.  (see  post,  under  10th  September  and 
8th  October,  l6n).] 


5  I 


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.i^^^>' J 


»-^'*«« 


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Xi^^ 


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f->i  i   -'"   -5/ 


^ 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  23 

equipage,  to  make  love  to  his  Majesty's  eldest 
daughter,  the  now  Princess  Royal. ^ 

That  evening,  was  celebrated  the  pompous 
funeral  of  the  Duke  of  Richmond,  who  was  carried 
in  effigy,  with  all  the  ensigns  of  that  illustrious 
family,  in  an  open  chariot,  in  great  solemnity, 
through  London  to  Westminster  Abbey. 

On  the  12th  of  May,  I  beheld  on  Tower-hill  the 
fatal  stroke  which  severed  the  wisest  head  in  Eng- 
land from  the  shoulders  of  the  Earl  of  Strafford, 
whose  crime  coming  under  the  cognisance  of  no 
human  law  or  statute,  a  new  one  was  made,  not  to 
be  a  precedent,  but  his  destruction.  With  what 
reluctancy  the  King  signed  the  execution,  he  has 
sufficiently  expressed ;  to  which  he  imputes  his 
own  unjust  suffering — to  such  exorbitancy^  were 
things  arrived. 

On  the  24th  May,  I  returned  to  Wotton ;  and, 
on  the  28th  of  June,  I  went  to  London  with  my 
sister  Jane,^  and  the  day  after  sat  to  one  Van  der 
Borcht*  for  my  picture  in  oil,  at  Arundel -house,'' 

1  [William  II.  of  Nassau,  Prince  of  Orange,  afterwards 
married.  May  2,  1648,  to  the  Princess  Mary.] 

^  [Enormity  (see  ante,  p.  9).] 

^  [See  note,  ante,  p.  1.] 

"^  Hendrik  van  der  Borcht,  a  painter  of  Brussels,  lived  at 
Frankenthal.  Lord  Arundel,  finding  his  son  at  Frankfort,  sent 
him  to  Mr.  Petty,  his  chaplain  and  agent,  then  collecting  for  him 
in  Italy,  and  afterwards  kept  him  in  his  service  as  long  as  he 
lived.  The  younger  Van  der  Borcht  was  both  painter  and 
engraver;  he  drew  many  of  the  Arundelian  curiosities,  and  etched 
several  things  both  in  that  and  the  Royal  Collection.  A  book 
of  his  drawings  from  the  former,  containing  567  pieces,  is  pre- 
served at  Paris  ;  and  is  described  in  the  catalogue  of  L'Orangerie. 
After  the  death  of  the  Earl,  he  entered  into  the  service  of  the 
Prince  of  Wales,  afterwards  Charles  II.,  and  lived  in  esteem  in 
London  for  a  considerable  time ;  but  returned  to  Antwerp,  and 
died  there  in  l660.  [Hollar  engraved  the  portrait  of  both  father 
and  son,  the  former  from  a  picture  by  the  latter.] 

^  [In  the  Strand,  between  Milford  Lane  and  Strand  Bridge. 
Arundel  Street,  Norfolk  Street,  Howard  Street,  and  others  now 
occupy  the  site.] 


24  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

whose  servant  that  excellent  painter  was,  brought 
out  of  Germany  when  the  Earl  returned  from 
Vienna  (whither  he  was  sent  Ambassador -extra- 
ordinary, with  great  pomp  and  charge,  though 
without  any  effect,  through  the  artifice  of  the 
Jesuited  Spaniard,  who  governed  all  in  that  con- 
juncture). With  Van  der  Borcht,  the  painter,  he 
brought  over  Wenceslaus  Hollar,  the  sculptor,^ 
who  engraved  not  only  the  unhappy  Deputy's  trial 
in  Westminster -hall,  but  his  decapitation ;  as  he 
did  several  other  historical  things,  then  relating  to 
the  accidents  happening  during  the  Rebellion  in 
England,  with  great  skill ;  besides  many  cities, 
towns,  and  landscapes,  not  only  of  this  nation,  but 
of  foreign  parts,  and  divers  portraits  of  famous 
persons  then  in  being ;  and  things  designed  from 
the  best  pieces  of  the  rare  paintings  and  masters 
of  which  the  Earl  of  Arundel  was  possessor,  pur- 
chased and  collected  in  his  travels  with  incredible 
expense :  so  as,  though  Hollar's  were  but  etched 
in  aqua-fortis,  I  account  the  collection  to  be  the 
most  authentic  and  useful  extant.  Hollar  was  the 
son  of  a  gentleman  near  Prague,  in  Bohemia,  and 
my  very  good  friend,  perverted  at  last  by  the 
Jesuits  at  Antwerp  to  change  his  religion  ;  a  very 
honest,  simple,  w^ell-meaning  man,  who  at  last  came 
over  again  into  England,  where  he  died.  We  have 
the  whole  history  of  the  King's  reign,  from  his  trial 
in  Westminster-hall  and  before,  to  the  restoration  of 
King  Charles  II.,  represented  hi  several  sculptures,- 

1  Wenceslaus  Hollar,  the  engraver,  1607-77.  In  the  troubles 
he  distinguished  himself  as  a  Royalist,  for  which  he  was 
imprisoned  by  the  Parliament.  He  escaped  to  the  Continent ; 
but  afterwards  returned  to  England,  where  he  eventually  died  in 
poverty.  [George  Vertue  published  a  description  of  his  works, 
with  a  life  ;  and  an  elaborate  catalogue  of  his  })rints  by  Gustav 
Parthey  appeared  at  Berlin  in  1 853.] 

2  [Sculptures  =  engravings.  Johnson  still  uses  the  word  in 
this  sense  in  a  letter  to  Mr.  Barnard  of  May  28,  1768.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  25 

with  that  also  of  Archbishop  Laud,  by  this  in- 
defatigable artist;  besides  innumerable  sculptures 
in  the  works  of  Dugdale,  Ashmole,  and  other 
historical  and  useful  works.  I  am  the  more  par- 
ticular upon  this  for  the  fruit  of  that  collection, 
which  I  wish  I  had  entire. 

This  picture^  I  presented  to  my  sister,  being  at 
her  request,  on  my  resolution  to  absent  myself 
from  this  ill  face  of  things  at  home,  which  gave 
umbrage^  to  wiser  than  myself  that  the  medal  was 
reversing,  and  our  calamities  but  yet  in  their 
infancy  :  so  that,  on  the  15th  of  July,  having  pro- 
cured a  pass  at  the  Custom-house,  where  I  repeated 
my  oath  of  allegiance,  I  went  from  London  to 
Gravesend,  accompanied  with  one  Mr.  Caryll,  a 
Surrey  gentleman,  and  our  servants,  where  we 
arrived  by  six  o'clock  that  evening,  with  a  purpose 
to  take  the  first  opportunity  of  a  passage  for 
Holland.^  But  the  wind  as  yet  not  favourable,  we 
had  time  to  view  the  Block- house  of  that  town, 
which  answered  to  another  over  against  it  at 
Tilbury,    famous    for   the    rendezvous    of    Queen 

^  His  own  portrait,  by  Van  der  Borcht.  [It  is  still  in  the 
Picture  Gallery  at  Wotton  House.] 

2  [Suspicion,  foreshadowing.] 

3  In  this  lie  was  acting  upon  the  counsel  he  gives  in  his 
Prefoce  to  The  State  of  France  as  to  foreign  travel : — "  The 
principal]  places  of  Europe,  wherein  a  gentleman  may,  wio  intuitu y 
behold  as  in  a  theater  the  chief  and  most  signal  actions  which 
(out  of  his  owne  countrey)  concerne  this  later  age  and  part  of 
the  world,  are  the  Netherlands,  comprehending  Flanders  and 
the  divided  provinces ;  which  is  a  perfect  encijde  and  synopsis  of 
whatever  one  may  elsewhere  see  in  all  the  other  countryes  of 
Europe ;  and  for  this  end  I  willingly  recommend  them  to  be 
first  visited,  no  otherwise  than  do  those  who  direct  us  in  the 
study  of  history  to  the  reading  first  of  some  authentick  epitome, 
or  universal]  chronology,  before  we  adventure  to  launch  forth 
into  that  vast  and  profound  ocean  of  voluminous  authours" 
{Miscellaneous  Writings ^  1825,  p.  50).  He  goes  on  to  regret  that 
when  he  visited  the  Low  Countries  his  judgment  was  yet 
immature.] 


26  THE  DIAKY  OF  lea 

Elizabeth,  in  the  year  1588,  which  we  found  stored 
with  twenty  pieces  of  cannon,  and  other  ammuni- 
tion proportionable.  On  the  19th  July,  we  made 
a  short  excursion  to  Rochester,  and  having  seen 
the  cathedral,  went  to  Chatham  to  see  the  Royal 
Sovereign,  a  glorious  vessel  of  burden  lately  built 
there,  being  for  defence  and  ornament,  the  richest 
that  ever  spread  cloth  before  the  wind.^  She 
carried  an  hundred  brass  cannon,  and  was  1200 
tons ;  a  rare  sailer,  the  work  of  the  famous 
Phineas  Pett,  inventor  of  the  frigate  -  fashion  of 
building,  to  this  day  practised.-  But  what  is  to  be 
deplored  as  to  this  vessel  is,  that  it  cost  his  Majesty 
the  affections  of  his  subjects,  perverted  by  the 
malcontent  great  ones,  who  took  occasion  to 
quarrel  for  his  having  raised  a  very  slight  tax  for 
the  building  of  this,  and  equipping  the  rest  of  the 
navy,  without  an  act  of  Parliament  ;  though,  by 
the  suffrages  of  the  major  part  of  the  Judges  the 
King  might  legally  do  in  times  of  imminent  danger, 
of  which  his  Majesty  was  best  apprised.  But  this 
not  satisfying  a  jealous  party,  it  was  condemned  as 
unprecedential,  and  not  justifiable  as  to  the  Royal 

^  [This  vessel,  which  had  been  built  at  Woolwich  in  l637  with 
he  Ship-money,  "was  in  almost  all  the  great  engagements 
that  were  fought  between  England  and  Holland."  The  Dutch 
called  her  the  Golden  Devil  from  the  gilding  on  her  stern.  Her 
first  name  was  Sovereign  oj  the  Seas.  In  l684  she  was  rebuilt^ 
and  renamed  the  Royal  Sovereign.  She  was  afterwards  accident- 
ally burned  at  Chatham  (see  post,  under  2nd  February,  I696). 
There  is  a  model  of  her  at  Greenwich  Hospital.] 

-  [Phineas  Pett,  1570-1647,  master-builder  of  the  navy,  and 
resident  Commissioner  at  Chatham,  l()30-l64'7.  He  left  a  Diary, 
extracts  from  which  are  published  in  vol,  xii.  of  the  Archaeologia. 
He  is  said  to  have  been  "the  first  scientific  naval  architect." 
It  is,  however,  Peter  Pett,  his  nephew,  1593-1652,  who  is 
credited  with  the  invention  of  the  frigate,  reference  to  which  is 
made  on  his  monument  in  St.  Nicholas  Church :  "  Verum  illud 
eximium  et  novum  navigij  orname7itum,  quod  nostrifrigatum  iiuncupant, 
.  .  .  primus  invenit"  (Dews'  Depfford,  1884,  pp.  76,  220).  See 
also/;o.v/,  7th  March,  I69O.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  27 

prerogative ;  and,  accordingly,  the  Judges  were 
removed  out  of  their  places,  fined,  and  imprisoned.^ 

We  returned  again  this  evening,  and  on  the 
21st  July  embarked  in  a  Dutch  frigate,  bound  for 
Flushing,  convoyed  and  accompanied  by  five  other 
stout  vessels,  whereof  one  was  a  man-of-war.  The 
next  day,  at  noon,  we  landed  at  Flushing. 

Being  desirous  to  overtake  the  leaguer,^  which 
was  then  before  Gennep,^  ere  the  summer  should 
be  too  far  spent,  we  went  this  evening  from 
Flushing  to  Middleburg,  another  fine  town  in  this 
island,*  to  Veere,  whence  the  most  ancient  and 
illustrious  Earls  of  Oxford  derive  their  family,  who 
have  spent  so  much  blood  in  assisting  the  state 
during  their  wars.  From  Veere  we  passed  over 
many  towns,  houses,  and  ruins  of  demolished 
suburbs,  etc.,  which  have  formerly  been  swallowed 
up  by  the  sea ;  at  what  time  no  less  than  eight  of 
those  islands  had  been  irrecoverably  lost. 

The  next  day  we  arrived  at  Dort,  the  first  town 
of  Holland,  furnished  with  all  German  commodities^ 
and  especially  Rhenish  wines  and  timber.  It  hath 
almost  at  the  extremity  a  very  spacious  and  vener- 
able church ;  a  stately  senate -house,  w^herein  was 
holden  that  famous  synod  against  the  Arminians  in 
1618  ;^  and  in  that  hall  hangeth  a  picture  of  "The 

1  In  this  way,  Evelyn  in  1641  refers  to  the  tax  of  Ship- 
money.  In  a  letter  dated  eight  years  later,  26th  March,  l649y 
his  tone  is  somewhat  different.  If  monarchy  is  to  be  saved  in 
England,  nothing  is  to  be  done  as  to  Government  "  but  what 
shall  be  approved  of  by  the  old  way  of  a  free  parliament,  and 
the  known  laws  of  the  land." 

2  [Siege.     See  po,st,  under  17th  December,  l684.] 

^  On  the  Niers,  in  the  province  of  Limburg — a  place  which, 
having  been  greatly  strengthened  by  the  Cardinal  Infante  D. 
Ferdinando,  in  l635,  was  at  this  time  besieged  by  the  French 
and  Dutch.  *  [I.e.  the  island  of  Walcheren.] 

5  [From  13th  November,  1618,  to  19th  May,  l6l9.  Its  object 
was  to  effect  a  compromise  between  the  Arminians  and  the 
Calvinists  ;  but  the  latter  prevailed.] 


28  THE  DIARY  OF 


1641 


Passion,"  an  exceeding  rare  and   much -esteemed 
piece. 

From  Dort,  being  desirous  to  hasten  towards  the 
army,  I  took  waggon  this  afternoon  to  Rotterdam, 
whither  we  were  luu-ried  in  less  than  an  hour, 
though  it  be  ten  miles  distant ;  so  furiously  do 
those  foremen  drive.  I  went  first  to  visit  the 
great  church,  the  Doole,  the  Bourse,  and  the  public 
statue  of  the  learned  Erasmus,  of  brass. ^  They 
showed  us  his  house,  or  rather  the  mean  cottage, 
wherein  he  was  born,  over  which  there  are  extant 
these  lines,  in  capital  letters  : 

^EDIBUS    HIS    ORTUS,  MUXDUM    DECORAVIT    ERASMUS 
ARTIBUS,    INGENIO,   RELIGIONE,  FIDE.^ 

The  26th  July,  I  passed  by  a  straight  and 
commodious  river  through  Delft  to  the  Hague  ; 
in  which  journey  I  observed  divers  leprous  poor 
creatures  dwelling  in  solitary  huts  on  the  brink  of 
the  water,  and  permitted  to  ask  the  charity  of 
passengers,  which  is  conveyed  to  them  in  a  floating 
box  that  they  cast  out.^ 

Arrived  at  the  Hague,  I  went  first  to  the  Queen 

^  [In  the  Groote  Markt.  It  is  by  Hendrik  de  Ke^-ser,  and 
was  erected  in  1622.] 

2  [In  the  last  chapter  of  Charles  Heade's  The  Cloister  and  the 
Hearth,  186l,  some  of  the  best  scenes  in  which  are  confessedly 
from  the  ^^ mediaeval  pen"  of  Erasmus,  the  motto  "over  the 
tailor's  house  in  the  13 rede- Kirk  Straet  "  is  given  as — "  Haec  est 
pawa  domus  natiis  qua  magniis  Erasmus."  But  further  alterations 
must  now  have  taken  place,  for  according  to  Baedeker,  "the 
fa9ade  of  the  house  No.  5  in  this  street  [the  Wj-de  Kerkstraat], 
with  a  statuette  of  Erasmus  in  the  pediment,  is  an  exact  repro- 
duction of  the  front  of  the  house  in  which  the  great  scholar  M'as 
born"  {Belgium  and  Holland,  1.905,  p.  294<).] 

2  ["Perhaps,"  says  Sou  they  in  vol.  xix.  of  the  Quarterly 
Review,  "  this  is  the  latest  notice  of  lepers  in  Europe  being  thus 
thrust  apart  from  the  rest  of  mankind,  and  Holland  is  likely  to 
be  the  countr}'^  in  which  the  disease  would  continue  longest " 
(p.  5).] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  29 

of  Bohemia's  court/  where  I  had  the  honour  to 
kiss  her  Majesty's  hand,  and  several  of  the 
Princesses',  her  daughters.  Prince  Maurice  wa.s 
also  there,  newly  come  out  of  Germany ;  and  my 
Lord  Finch,'-  not  long  before  fled  out  of  England 
from  the  fury  of  the  Parliament.  It  was  a  fasting 
day  with  the  Queen  for  the  unfortunate  death  of 
her  husband,  and  the  presence-chamber  had  been 
hung  with  black  velvet  ever  since  his  decease. 

The  28tli  July  I  went  to  Leyden  ;  and  the 
29th  to  Utrecht,  being  thirty  English  miles  distant 
(as  they  reckon  by  hours).  It  w^as  now  kermesse, 
or  a  fair,  in  this  town,  the  streets  swarming  with 
boors  and  rudeness,  so  that  early  the  next  mornings 
having  visited  the  ancient  Bishop  s  court,  and  the 
tw^o  famous  churches,  I  satisfied  my  curiosity  till 
my  return,  and  better  leisure.  We  then  came  to 
Rynen,  where  the  Queen  of  Bohemia  hath  a  neat 
and  well-built  palace,  or  country-house,  after  the 
Italian  manner,  as  I  remember ;  and  so,  crossing 
the  Rhine,  upon  which  this  villa  is  situated,  lodged 
that  night  in  a  countryman's  house.  The  31st  to 
Nimeguen ;  and  on  the  2nd  of  August  we  arrived 
at  the  leaguer,  where  was  then  the  whole  army 
encamped  about  Gennep,  a  very  strong  castle 
situated  on  the  river  Waal ;  ^  but,  being  taken  four 
or  five  days  before,  we  had  only  a  sight  of  the 
demolitions.     The  next  Sunday  was  the  thanks- 

^  Elizabeth  Stuart,  1596-1662,  daughter  of  James  I.,  mother 
of  the  princes  Maurice  and  Rupert ;  her  youngest  daughter  was 
Sophia,  Electress  of  Hanover,  whose  eldest  son  was  George  I. 

2  Sir  John  Finch,  1584-1660,  Speaker  of  the  House  of 
Commons  in  1628 ;  Attorney -General  to  Queen  Henrietta 
Maria  in  1635  ;  the  following  year  promoted  to  be  Judge  of  the 
Common  Pleas  ;  aftenvards  Lord  Chief  Justice  ;  thence  promoted 
to  be  Lord  Keeper  of  the  Great  Seal  in  l637  ;  and  in  April, 
1 640,  advanced  to  the  peerage  as  Baron  Finch,  of  Fordwich. 

2  [Query, — Niers,  a  tributary  of  the  Maas,  which  again  runs 
into  the  Waal.] 


30  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

giving  sermons  performed  in  Colonel  Goring's^ 
regiment  (eldest  son  of  the  since  Earl  of  Norwich) 
by  Mr.  GofFe,^  his  chaplain  (now  turned  Roman, 
and  father-confessor  to  the  Queen-mother).  The 
evening  was  spent  in  firing  cannon  and  other 
expressions  of  military  triumphs. 

Now,  according  to  the  compliment,  I  was 
received  a  volunteer  in  the  company  of  Captain 
Apsley,  of  whose  Captain -lieutenant,  Honywood 
^Apsley  being  absent),  I  received  many  civihties. 

The  3rd  August,  at  night,  we  rode  about  the 
lines  of  circumvallation,  the  general  being  then  in 
the  field.  The  next  day,  I  was  accommodated 
wdth  a  very  spacious  and  commodious  tent  for  my 
lodging ;  as  before  I  was  with  a  horse,  which  I  had 
at  command,  and  a  hut  which  during  the  excessive 
heats  was  a  great  convenience  ;  for  the  sun  piercing 
the  canvass  of  the  tent,  it  was  during  the  day 
unsufFerable,  and  at  night  not  seldom  infested  with 
mists  and  fogs,  which  ascended  from  the  river. 

Qth  August.  As  the  turn  came  about,  we  were 
ordered  to  watch  on  a  horn-work  near  our  quarters, 
and  trail  a  pike,  being  the  next  morning  reheved 
by  a  company  of  French.  This  was  our  continual 
duty  till  the  castle  was  re-fortified,  and  all  danger 
of  quitting  that  station  secured  ;  whence  I  went  to 
see  a  Convent  of  Franciscan  Friars,  not  far  from 
our  quarters,  where  we  found  both  the  chapel  and 
refectory  full,  crowded  with  the  goods  of  such  poor 

^  This  was  George,  Baron  Goring,  1 608-57,  distinguished  in 
the  Civil  Wars  as  General  Goring.  He  was  the  eldest  son  of 
George  Goring,  1583  ?-l 663,  in  1628  created  Baron  Goring,  and 
in  1644  raised  to  the  Earldom  of  Norwich,  for  his  services  to 
Charles  I.,  before  and  after  the  troubles.  General  Goring  died 
before  his  father. 

2  [Dr.  Stephen  GofFe  (or  Gough),  1605-8>1.  Having  "turned 
Roman,"  he  became  Superior  of  the  French  Oratorians  in  l655. 
He  was  chaplain  to  Henrietta  Maria,  and  tutor  to  the  Duke  of 
Monmouth.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  31 

people  as  at  the  approach  of  the  army  had  fled  with 
them  thither  for  sanctuary.  On  the  day  following, 
I  went  to  view  all  the  trenches,  approaches,  and 
mines,  etc.,  of  the  besiegers  ;  and,  in  particular,  I 
took  special  notice  of  the  wheel -bridge,  which 
engine  his  Excellency  had  made  to  run  over  the 
moat  when  they  stormed  the  castle ;  as  it  is  since 
described  (with  all  the  other  particulars  of  this 
siege)  by  the  author  of  that  incomparable  work, 
Hollandia  Illastrata?  The  walls  and  ramparts 
of  earth,  which  a  mine  had  broken  and  crumbled, 
were  of  prodigious  thickness. 

Upon  the  8th  August,  I  dined  in  the  horse- 
quarters  with  Sir  Kobert  Stone  and  his  lady,  Sir 
William  Stradling,  and  divers  Cavaliers ;  where 
there  was  very  good  cheer,  but  hot  service  for  a 
young  drinker,  as  then  I  was  ;  so  that,  being  pretty 
well  satisfied  with  the  confusion  of  armies  and 
sieges  (if  such  that  of  the  United  Provinces  may 
be  called,  where  their  quarters  and  encampments 
are  so  admirably  regular,  and  orders  so  exactly 
observed,  as  few  cities,  the  best  governed  in  time 
of  peace,  exceed  it  for  all  conveniences),  I  took  my 
leave  of  the  leaguer  and  caviarades ;  and,  on  the 
12th  of  August,  I  embarked  on  the  Waal,  in 
company  with  three  grave  divines,  who  entertained 
us  a  great  part  of  our  passage  with  a  long  dispute 
concerning  the  lawfulness  of  church-music.  We 
now  sailed  by  Tiel,  where  we  landed  some  of  our 
freight;  and  about  five  o'clock  we  touched  at  a 
pretty  town  named  Bommel,  that  had  divers  English 
in  garrison.  It  stands  upon  Contribution -land, 
which  subjects  the  environs  to  the  Spanish  in- 
cursions. We  sailed  also  by  an  exceeding  strong 
fort  called  Loevestein,'^  famous  for  the  escape  of 

1  [Evelyn  probably  intends  the  Batavia  Illustrata    of   Peter 
Schryver  or  Scriverius,  I609.] 

2  [Loevestein  is  at  the  extremity  of  an  island  formed  by  the 


32  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

the  learned  Hugo  Grotius,  who,  being  m  durance 
as  a  capital  offender,  as  was  the  unhappy  Barne- 
veldt,^  by  the  stratagem  of  his  lady,  was  conveyed 
in  a  trunk  supposed  to  be  filled  with  books  only. 
We  lay  at  Gorcum,*^  a  very  strong  and  considerable 
frontier. 

ISth  August  We  arrived  late  at  Rotterdam, 
where  was  their  annual  mart  or  fair,  so  furnished 
with  pictures  (especially  landscapes  and  drolleries,* 
as  they  call  those  clownish  representations),  that  I 
was  amazed.  Some  of  these  I  bought,  and  sent 
into  England.  The  reason  of  this  store  of  pictures, 
and  their  cheapness,  proceeds  from  their  want  of 
land  to  employ  their  stock,  so  that  it  is  an  ordinary 
thing  to  find  a  common  farmer  lay  out  two  or  three 
thousand  pounds  in  this  commodity.  Their  houses 
are  full  of  them,  and  they  vend  them  at  their  fairs 
to  very  great  gains.  Here  I  first  saw  an  elephant, 
who  was  extremely  well  disciplined  and  obedient.  It 
was  a  beast  of  a  monstrous  size,  yet  as  flexible  and 
nimble  in  the  joints,  contrary  to  the  vulgar  tradition, 
as  could  be  imagined  from  so  prodigious  a  bulk  and 
strange  fabric ;  ^  but  I  most  of  all  admired  the 
dexterity  and  strength  of  its  proboscis,  on  which  it 
was  able  to  support  two  or  three  men,  and  by  which 

junction  of  the  Maas  and  the  Waal.  Hugo  de  Groot  or  Grotius, 
1583-1645,  escaped  from  it  in  the  manner  described,  21st  Marcli, 
1621.1 

^  [Johan  van  Olden  Barneveldt,  1 547-1 6l 9,  a  Dutch  statesman 
and  Arminian,  beheaded  by  the  States-General  at  the  Hague, 
14th  May,  l6l9.] 

2  [Or  Gorinchem.] 

^  Drolleries  were  pictures  of  low  humour.  Falstaff  recom- 
mends Mrs.  Quickly  "a,  pretty  slight  droller}'^ "  for  the  walls  of 
her  Eastcheap  Tavern  (2  Henry  IV.  Act  II.  Sc.  i.).] 

^  ["  The  elephant  hath  joints,  but  none  for  courtesy  :  his  legs 
are  legs  for  necessity,  not  for  flexure  "  (JF  roil  us  and  Cressida,  Act 
n.  Sc.  iii.).  "That  an  Elephant  hath  no  joints,"  etc. — is  the 
title  of  Chap.  i.  of  Book  iii.  of  the  Pseudodoocia  Epidcmica  of  Sir 
Thomas  Browne.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  38 

it  took  and  reached  whatever  was  offered  to  it ;  its 
teeth  were  but  short,  being  a  female,  and  not  old. 
I  was  also  shown  a  pelican,  or  onocTatalus  of  Pliny, 
with  its  large  gullets,  in  which  he  kept  his  reserve 
of  fish  ;  the  plumage  was  white,  legs  red,  fiat,  and 
film -footed  :  likewise  a  cock  with  four  legs,  two 
rumps  and  vents  :  also  a  hen  which  had  two  large 
spurs  growing  out  of  her  sides,  penetrating  the 
feathers  of  her  wings. ^ 

11th  August.  I  passed  again  through  Delft,  and 
visited  the  church  in  which  was  the  monument 
of  Prince  AVilliam  of  Nassau,  —  the  first  of  the 
Williams,  and  saviour  (as  they  call  him)  of  their 
liberty,  which  cost  him  his  life  by  a  vile  assassina- 
tion.^ It  is  a  piece  of  rare  art,  consisting  of  se\  eral 
figures,  as  big  as  the  life,  in  copper.  There  is  hi 
the  same  place  a  magnificent  tomb  of  his  son  and 
successor,  Maurice.^  The  Senate -house  hath  a 
very  stately  portico,  supported  with  choice  columns 
of  black  marble,  as  I  remember,  of  one  entire  stone. 
Within,  there  hangs  a  weighty  vessel  of  wood,  not 
unlike  a  butter -churn,  which  the  adventurous 
woman  that  hath  two  husbands  at  one  time  is  to 
wear  on  her  shoulders,  her  head  peeping  out  at  the 
top  only,  and  so  led  about  the  town,  as  a  penance 
for  her  incontinence.  From  hence,  we  went  the 
next  day  to  Ryswyk,  a  stately  country-house  of 
the  Prince  of  Orange,^  for  nothing  more  remarkable 

^  ["  Hee  ofFend[s]  lesse  who  writes  many  toyes,  than  he, 
who  omits  one  serious  thing"  (Howell's  Forreine  Travell,  l642. 
Sect,  iii.).] 

2  [William  I.  the  Silent,  Prince  of  Orange,  1533-1584,  was 
shot  (July  10)  in  the  Prinsenhof  at  Delft  (now  the  William  of 
Orange  Museum)  by  Balthasar  Gerards,  a  Burgundian  agent  of 
Philip  II.  of  Spain.  His  monument,  by  Hendrik  de  Keyser,  is  in 
the  Nieuwe  Kerk.] 

3  [Maurice  of  Nassau,  1567-1625.] 

*  [The  palace  of  Ryswyk,  in  which  the  I'reaties  of  Peace  were 
signed  in  1697  (see  post,  under  2nd  December,  l697),  was 
removed  in  1783.     An  obelisk  was  erected  on  the  site.] 

VOL.  I  D 


34  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

than  the  delicious  walks  planted  with  lime  trees, 
and  the  modern  paintings  within. 

l^th  August,  We  returned  to  the  Hague,  and 
went  to  visit  the  Hof,  or  Prince's  Court,  with  the 
adjoining  gardens  full  of  ornament,  close  walks, 
statues,  marbles,  grots,  fountains,  and  artificial 
music.  There  is  to  this  palace  a  stately  hall,  not 
much  inferior  to  ours  of  Westminster,  hung  round 
with  colours  and  other  trophies^  taken  from  the 
Spaniards;  and  the  sides  below  are  furnished  with 
shops.  Next  day  (the  20th)  I  returned  to  Delft, 
thence  to  Rotterdam,  the  Hague,  and  Ley  den, 
where  immediately  I  mounted  a  waggon,  which 
that  night,  late  as  it  was,  brought  us  to  Haarlem. 
About  seven  in  the  morning  after  I  came  to  Amster- 
dam, where  being  provided  with  a  lodging,  the  first 
thing  I  went  to  see  was  a  Synagogue  of  the  Jews 
(being  Saturday),  whose  ceremonies,  ornaments, 
lamps,  law,  and  schools,  afforded  matter  for  my 
contemplation.  The  women  were  secluded  from 
the  men,  being  seated  in  galleries  above,  shut  with 
lattices,  having  their  heads  muffled  with  linen,  after 
a  fantastical  and  somewhat  extraordinary  fashion  ; 
the  men,  wearing  a  large  calico  mantle,  yellow 
coloured,  over  their  hats,  all  the  while  waving 
their  bodies,  whilst  at  their  devotions.  From 
thence,  I  went  to  a  place  without  the  town,  called 
Overkirk,  where  they  have  a  spacious  field  assigned 
them  to  bury  their  dead,  full  of  sepulchres  with 
Hebraic  inscriptions,  some  of  them  stately  and 
costly.  Looking  through  one  of  these  monuments, 
where  the  stones  were  disjointed,  I  perceived  divers 
books  and  papers  lie  about  a  corpse ;  for  it  seems, 
when  any  learned  Rabbi  dies,  they  bury  some  of 

1  As  Westminster  Hall  used  to  be  down  to  the  beginning  of 
the  reign  of  George  III.  [The  banners  taken  at  Naseby  and 
Worcester,  at  Preston  and  Dunbar  and  Blenheim,  were  all  to  be 
hung  in  it  in  the  years  to  come.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  35 

his  books  with  him.  With  the  help  of  a  stick,  I 
raked  out  several,  written  hi  Hebrew  characters, 
but  much  impaired.  As  we  returned,  we  stepped 
in  to  see  the  Spin-house,  a  kind  of  bridewell,  where 
incorrigible  and  lewd  women  are  kept  in  discipline 
and  labour,  but  all  neat.  We  were  showed  an 
hospital  for  poor  travellers  and  pilgrims,  built  by 
Queen  Elizabeth  of  England  ;  and  another  main- 
tained by  the  city. 

The  State  or  Senate-house  of  this  town,  if  the 
design  be  perfected,  will  be  one  of  the  most  costly 
and  magnificent  pieces  of  architecture  in  Europe, 
especially  for  the  materials  and  the  carvings.  In 
the  Doole  is  painted,  on  a  very  large  table,^  the 
bust  of  Marie  de  Medicis,  supported  by  four  royal 
diadems,  the  work  of  one  Vanderdall,  who  hath  set 
his  name  thereon,  1st  September,  1638. 

On  Sunday,  I  heard  an  English  sermon  at  the 
Presbyterian  congregation,  where  they  had  chalked 
upon  a  slate  the  psalms  that  were  to  be  sung,  so 
that  all  the  congregation  might  see  it  without  the 
bidding  of  a  clerk.  I  was  told,  that  after  such  an 
age  no  minister  was  permitted  to  preach,  but  had 
his  maintenance  continued  during  life. 

I  purposely  changed  my  lodgings,  being  desirous 
to  converse  with  the  sectaries  that  swarmed  in  this 
city,  out  of  whose  spawn  came  those  almost  innumer- 
able broods  in  England  afterwards.  It  was  at  a 
Brownist's  house, ^  where  we  had  an  extraordinary 
good  table.  There  was  in  pension  with  us  my  Lord 
Keeper,^  Finch,  and  one  Sir  J.  Fotherbee.     Here  I 

1  [The  tablet,  or  panel  on  which  a  picture  is  painted.  Evelyn 
frequently  uses  the  temi  for  the  picture  itself  (see  post,  under 
8th  October,  iG-il).] 

2  [The  Brownists  were  a  separatist  sect  founded  by  Robert 
Browne  (1550  ?-l633  ?),  the  reputed  first  congregationalist,  who 
boasted,  on  his  death -bed,  that  he  had  been  in  thirty -two 
prisons  during  his  religious  warfare  with  the  established 
authorities.]  3  ^^^  ^^^i^^  ^   29.] 


36  THE  DIATIY  OF  i64i 

also  found  an  English  Carmelite,  who  was  going 
through  Germany  with  an  Irish  gentleman.  I  now 
went  to  see  the  Weese-house,  a  foundation  like  our 
Charter-house,  for  the  education  of  decayed  persons, 
orphans,  and  poor  children,  where  they  are  taught 
several  occupations.  The  girls  are  so  well  brought 
up  to  housewifery,  that  men  of  good  worth,  who 
seek  that  chiefly  in  a  woman,  frequently  take  their 
wives  from  this  hospital.  Thence  to  the  Rasp-house, 
where  the  lusty  knaves  are  compelled  to  work  ;  and 
the  rasping  of  brasil  and  logwood  for  the  dyers  is 
very  hard  labour.  To  the  Dool-house,^  for  madmen 
and  fools.  But  none  did  I  so  much  admire,  as  an 
Hospital  for  their  lame  and  decrepit  soldiers  and 
seamen,  where  the  accommodations  are  very  great, 
the  building  answerable ;  and,  indeed,  for  the  like 
public  charities  the  provisions  are  admirable  in  this 
country,  where,  as  no  idle  vagabonds  are  suffered 
(as  in  England  they  are),  there  is  hardly  a  child  of 
four  or  five  years  old,  but  they  find  some  employ- 
ment for  it.^ 

It  was  on  a  Sunday  morning  that  I  went  to  the 
Bourse,  or  Exchange,  after  their  sermons  were 
ended,  to  see  the  Dog-market,  which  lasts  till  two 
in  the  afternoon,  in  this  place  of  convention  of 
merchants  from  all  parts  of  the  world.  The  build- 
ing is  not  comparable  to  that  of  London,  built  by 

1  [Dol/mis-,  mad-house.] 

2  In  the  early  editions  of  this  Diary^  the  entiy  relating  to  the 
Amsterdam  Hospital  stood  thus : — '^  But  none  did  I  so  much 
admire  as  an  Hospitall  for  their  lame  and  decrepid  souldiers,  it 
being  for  state^  order,  and  ac'om'odations,  one  of  the  worthiest 
things  that  the  world  can  shew  of  that  nature.  Indeede  it  is 
most  remarkable  what  provisions  are  here  made  and  maintain'd 
for  publiq  and  charitable  purposes^  and  to  protect  the  jx)ore  from 
misery,  and  the  country  from  heggers"  (Diari/,  1827,  i.  29). 
I'he  passage  in  the  text  is  from  Evelyn's  own  later  correction. 
It  should  be  noted,  in  connection  with  this  remark  on  the 
liospital  of  Amsterdam,  that  the  first  stone  of  Greenwich 
Hospital  was  afterwards  laid  by  Evelyn. 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  87 

that  worthy  citizen,  Sir  Thomas  Gresham,  yet  in 
one  respect  exceeding  it,  that  vessels  of  considerable 
burden  ride  at  the  very  quay  contiguous  to  it ;  and 
indeed  it  is  by  extraordinary  industry  that  as  well 
this  city,  as  generally  all  the  towns  of  Holland,  are 
so  accommodated  with  grachts  [canals],  cuts,  sluices, 
moles,  and  rivers,  made  by  hand,  that  nothing  is 
more  frequent  than  to  see  a  whole  navy,  belonging 
to  this  mercantile  people,  riding  at  anchor  before 
their  very  doors  :  and  yet  their  streets  even,  straight, 
and  well  paved,  the  houses  so  uniform  and  planted 
with  lime  trees,  as  nothing  can  be  more  beautiful.^ 

The  next  day,  we  were  entertained  at  a  kind  of 
tavern,  called  the  Briloft,  appertaining  to  a  rich 
Anabaptist,  where,  in  the  upper  rooms  of  the  house, 
were  divers  pretty  water -works,  rising  108  feet 
from  the  ground.  Here  were  many  quaint  devices, 
fountains,  artificial  music,  noises  of  beasts,  and 
chirping  of  birds ;  but  what  pleased  me  most  was  a 
large  pendent  candlestick,  branching  into  several 
sockets,  furnished  all  with  ordinary  candles  to 
appearance,  out  of  the  wicks  spouting  out  streams 
of  water,  instead  of  flames.  This  seemed  then  and 
was  a  rarity,  before  the  philosophy  of  compressed 
air  made  it    intelligible.      There    was    likewise    a 

1  Some  slight  differences  are  observable  in  the  description 
of  the  Dutch  towns  as  it  stands  in  the  earlier  editions.  It  may 
be  worth  while, — where  the  change  does  not  simply  consist,  as  for 
the  most  part  is  the  case,  in  a  more  full  and  careful  reproduction 
of  the  original  text,  but,  as  happens  occasionally,  in  the  substitu- 
tion of  Evelyn's  later  corrections  for  his  earlier  and  less  finished 
text, — to  preserve  in  these  notes  the  text  as  first  printed.  The 
last  six  lines  of  the  above  are  in  the  first  version  as  follows  : — 
*' .  .  .  moles,  and  rivers,  that  nothing  is  more  frequent  then  to 
see  a  whole  navy  of  marchands  and  others  environ'd  with  streetes 
and  houses,  every  man's  barke  or  vessel  at  anker  before  his  very 
doore  ;  and  yet  the  street  so  exactly  straite,  even,  and  unifomie, 
that  nothing  can  be  more  pleasing,  especialy  being  so  frequently 
planted  and  shaded  with  the  beautifuU  lime-trees,  set  in  rows 
before  every  man's  house"  (Diari/,  1827,  i.  29). 


38  THE  DIARY  OF  leii 

cylinder  that  entertained  the  company  with  a 
variety  of  chimes,  the  hammers  striking  upon  the 
brims  of  porcelain  dishes,  suited  to  the  tones  and 
notes,  without  cracking  any  of  them.  Many  other 
water- works  were  shown. 

The  Reiser's  or  Emperor's  Gracht,  which  is  an 
ample  and  long  street,  appearing  like  a  city  in  a 
forest ;  the  lime  trees  planted  just  before  each 
house,  and  at  the  margin  of  that  goodly  aqueduct 
so  curiously  wharfed  with  clinkered  brick,  which 
likewise  paves  the  streets,  than  which  nothing  can 
be  more  useful  and  neat.  This  part  of  Amsterdam 
is  built  and  gained  upon  the  main  sea,  supported 
by  piles  at  an  immense  charge,  and  fitted  for  the 
most  busy  concourse  of  traffickers  and  people  of 
commerce  beyond  any  place,  or  mart,  in  the  world. 
Nor  must  I  forget  the  port  of  entrance  into  an 
issue  of  this  town,  composed  of  very  magnificent 
pieces  of  architecture,  some  of  the  ancient  and  best 
manner  ;  as  are  divers  churches.^ 

1  The  description  of  the  Briloft  is  thus  given  in  the  earlier 
editions  :  "  There  was  a  lamp  of  brasse,  with  eight  socketts  from 
the  middle  stem,  like  those  we  use  in  churches,  having  counter- 
feit tapers  in  them,  streams  of  water  issuing  as  out  of  their 
wickes,  the  whole  branch  hanging  loose  upon  a  tach  ["catch" 
or  "  fastening  "]  in  the  middst  of  a  beame,  and  without  any  other 
perceptible  com'erce  with  any  pipe,  so  that,  unless  it  were  by 
compression  of  the  ayre  with  a  syringe,  I  could  not  comprehend 
how  it  should  be  don.  There  was  a  chime  of  purselan  dishes, 
which  fitted  to  clock-worke  and  rung  many  changes  and  tunes  " 
{Diai-y,  1827,  i.  30).  That  of  the  Reiser's  Gracht  stands  thus: 
"  The  Reisers  Graft,  or  Emperors  Streete,  appears  a  citty  in  a 
wood  through  the  goodly  ranges  of  the  stately  lime-trees  planted 
before  each  man's  doore,  and  at  the  margent  of  that  goodly 
aquae-duct,  or  river,  so  curiously  wharfed  with  clincai*s  (a  kind 
of  white  sun-bak'd  brick),  and  of  which  material  the  spacious 
streetes  on  either  side  are  paved.  This  part  of  Amsterdam  is 
gained  upon  the  maine  Sea,  supported  by  piles  at  an  im'ense 
charge.  Prodigious  it  is  to  consider  the  multitude  of  vessels 
which  continualy  ride  before  this  Citty,  which  is  certainly  the 
most  busie  concourse  of  mortalls  now  upon  the  whole  earth,  and 
the  most  addicted  to  com'erce  "  {ib.  i.  30). 


1641 


JOHN  EVELYN  39 


The  turrets,  or  steeples,  are  adorned  after  a 
particular  manner  and  invention ;  the  chimes  of 
bells  are  so  rarely  managed,  that  being  curious  to 
know  whether  the  motion  was  from  any  engine,  I 
went  up  to  that  of  St.  Nicholas,  where  I  found  one 
who  played  all  sorts  of  compositions  from  the 
tablature  before  him,  as  if  he  had  fingered  an 
organ ;  for  so  were  the  hammers  fastened  with 
wires  to  several  keys  put  into  a  frame  twenty  feet 
below  the  bells,  upon  which  (by  help  of  a  wooden 
instrument,  not  much  unlike  a  weaver's  shuttle, 
that  guarded  his  hand)  he  struck  on  the  keys  and 
played  to  admiration.  All  this  while,  through  the 
clattering  of  the  wires,  din  of  the  too  nearly 
sounding  bells,  and  noise  that  his  wooden  gloves 
made,  the  confusion  was  so  great,  that  it  was 
impossible  for  the  musician,  or  any  that  stood  near 
him,  to  hear  anything  himself ;  yet,  to  those  at  a 
distance,  and  especially  in  the  streets,  the  harmony 
and  the  time  were  the  most  exact  and  agreeable. 

The  south  church  is  richly  paved  with  black 
and  white  marble, — the  west  is  a  new  fabric ;  and 
generally  all  the  churches  in  Holland  are  furnished 
with  organs,  lamps,  and  monuments,  carefully  pre 
served  from  the  fury  and  impiety  of  popular 
reformers,  whose  zeal  has  foolishly  transported 
them  in  other  places  rather  to  act  Uke  madmen 
than  religious.^ 

Upon  St.  Bartholomew's  day,  I  went  amongst 
the  book-sellers,  and  visited  the  famous  Hondius^ 
and  Bleaw's  ^  shop,  to  buy  some  maps,  atlasses,  and 

1  [See  post,  under  10th  October,  l641,  with  reference  to  the 
destruction  of  the  windows  of  Canterbury  Cathedral.] 

■^  [There  were  several  artists  named  Hondius  or  De  Hondt. 
This  may  have  been  William  Hondius,  the  son  of  Henry.  He 
was  living  in  Holland  at  this  date.] 

'^  [William  Jansen  Blaeuw,  1571-1638,  geographer,  printer, 
and  friend  of  Tycho  Brahe.  His  Theatrum  Mundi,  1663-71,  was 
published  by  his  son  John  (d.  1680),  probably  here  referred  to.] 


40  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

other  works  of  that  kind.^  At  another  shop,  I 
furnished  myself  with  some  shells  and  Indian 
curiosities  ;  and  so,  towards  the  end  of  August,  I 
returned  again  to  Haarlem  by  the  river,  ten  miles 
in  length,  straight  as  a  line,  and  of  competent 
breadth  for  ships  to  sail  by  one  another.  They 
showed  us  a  cottage  where,  they  told  us,  dwelt  a 
woman  who  had  been  married  to  her  twenty-fifth 
husband,  and  being  now  a  widow,  was  prohibited 
to  marry  in  future  ;  yet  it  could  not  be  proved  that 
she  had  ever  made  away  with  any  of  her  husbands, 
though  the  suspicion  had  brought  her  divers  times 
to  trouble. 

Haarlem  is  a  very  delicate  town,  and  hath  one 
of  the  fairest  churches  of  the  Gothic  design  I  had 
ever  seen.^  There  hang  in  the  steeple,  which  is 
very  high,  two  silver  bells,  said  to  have  been 
brought  from  Damietta,  in  Egypt,  by  an  earl  of 
Holland,  in  memory  of  whose  success  they  are 
rung  out  every  evening.  In  the  nave,  hang  the 
goodliest  branches  of  brass  for  tapers  that  I  have 
seen,  esteemed  of  great  value  for  the  curiosity  of 
the  workmanship  ;  also  a  fair  pair  of  organs,  which 
I  could  not  find  they  made  use  of  in  divine  service, 
or  so  much  as  to  assist  them  in  singing  psalms,  but 
only  for  show,  and  to  recreate  the  people  before 
and  after  their  devotions,  whilst  the  burgomasters 
were  walking  and  conferring  about  their  affairs. 
Near  the  west  window  hang  two  models  of  ships, 
completely  equipped,  in  memory  of  that  invention 
of  saws  under  their  keels,  with  which  they  cut 
through  the  chain  of  booms,  which  barred  the  port 

^  The  entry  as  to  the  l>ooksellers,  etc.,  is  thus  expressed  in  the 
earher  edition  :  "  I  went  to  Hundius's  shop  to  buy  some  majjps, 
greatly  pleased  with  the  designes  of  that  indefatigable  person. 
Mr.  Bleaw,  the  setter  forth  of  the  Atlas's  and  other  workes  of 
that  kind,  is  worthy  seeing"  (Dianj,  1827,  i.  32). 

"^  [The  Groote  Kerk.  It  was  restored  throughout  at  the  end 
of  the  last  century,] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  41 

of  Damietta.  Having  visited  this  churcli,  the  fish- 
market,  and  made  some  inquiry  about  the  printing- 
house,  the  invention  whereof  is  said  to  have  been 
in  this  town,^  1  returned  to  Leyden. 

At  Leyden,  I  was  carried  up  to  the  castle,  or 
Pyrgus,  built  on  a  very  steep  artificial  mount,  cast 
up  (as  reported)  by  Hengist  the  Saxon,  on  his  re- 
turn out  of  England,  as  a  place  to  retire  to,  in  case 
of  any  sudden  inundations. 

The  churches  are  many  and  fair  ;  in  one  of 
them  lies  buried  the  learned  and  illustrious  Joseph 
Scaliger,^  without  any  extraordinary  inscription, 
who,  havhig  left  the  world  a  monument  of  his 
worth  more  lasting  than  marble,  needed  nothing 
more  than  his  own  name;  which  I  think  is  all 
engraven  on  his  sepulchre.  He  left  his  library  to 
this  University. 

2^th  August.  I  went  to  see  the  college  and 
schools,  which  are  nothing  extraordinary,  and  was 
complimented  with  a  inatricula  by  the  magnijicus 
Professor,  who  first  in  Latin  demanded  of  me 
where  my  lodging  in  the  town  was,  my  name,  age, 
birth,  and  to  what  Faculty  I  addicted  myself ;  then, 
recording  my  answers  in  a  book,  he  admhiistered 
an  oath  to  me  that  I  should  observe  the  statutes 
and  orders  of  the  University  whilst  I  stayed,  and 
then  delivered  me  a  ticket,  by  virtue  whereof  I 
was  made  excise -free ;  for  all  which  worthy 
privileges,  and  the  pains  of  writing,  he  accepted  of 
a  rix-dollar. 

Here  was  now  the  famous  Dan.  Heinsius,^  whom 

^  [The  invention  of  printing,  now  given  to  Gutenberg  (see 
post,  p.  43),  was  formerly  attributed  to  Laurens  Janszoon  Coster 
of  Haarlem,  whose  statue  in  bronze,  erected  in  1856,  stands  in 
front  of  the  Groote  Kerk.] 

-  [Joseph  Justus  Scaliger,  Io40-l60f).  His  monument  is  in 
the  south  transept  of  the  Cliurch  of  St.  Peter.] 

3  Daniel  Heinsius,  1580-1655,  a  Dutch  scholar  and  critic, 
who  edited  numerous  editions  of  the  Classics.     He  was  chosen 


42  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

1  so  longed  to  see,  as  well  as  the  no  less  famous 
printer  Elzevir's  printing-house  and  shop,^  re- 
nowned for  the  politeness  of  the  character  and 
editions  of  what  he  has  published  through  Europe. 
Hence  to  the  physic -garden,^  well  stored  with 
exotic  plants,  if  the  catalogue  presented  to  me  by 
the  gardener  be  a  faithful  register. 

But,  amongst  all  the  rarities  of  this  place,  I  was 
much  pleased  with  a  sight  of  their  anatomy-school, 
theatre,  and  repository  adjoining,^  which  is  well 
furnished  with  natural  curiosities ;  skeletons,  from 
the  whale  and  elephant  to  the  fly  and  spider ;  which 
last  is  a  very  delicate  piece  of  art,  to  see  how  the 
bones  (if  I  may  so  call  them  of  so  tender  an  insect) 
could  be  separated  from  the  mucilaginous  parts  of 
that  minute  animal.  Amongst  a  great  variety  of 
other  things,  I  was  shown  the  knife  newly  taken 
out  of  a  drunken  Dutchman's  guts,  by  an  incision 
in  his  side,  after  it  had  slipped  from  his  fingers  into 
his  stomach.  The  pictures  of  the  chirurgeon  and 
his  patient,  both  living,  were  there. 

There  is  without  the  town  a  fair  Mall,  curiously 
planted. 

professor  of  history  and  politics  at  Leyden ;  then  secretary  and 
librarian  of  the  University.  In  I6I8,  he  was  appointed  secretary 
to  the  states  of  Holland  at  the  Synod  of  Dort ;  and  the  fame  of 
his  learning  became  so  diflfused,  that  the  Pope  endeavoured  to 
draw  him  to  Rome. 

1  [Bonaventura  (1583-1654),  and  Abraham  Elzevir  or  Elzevier 
(1592-1 652),  established  the  Offidna  ELzeveriana  at  Leyden  in 
1626 ;  and  it  was  continued  by  their  descendants.] 

2  [The  Botanic  Garden  behind  the  University.] 

3  The  Natural  History  Museum,  which  includes  a  famous 
Department  of  Comparative  Anatomy.  Thoresby,  l678,  speaks 
of  all  these  places : — "  At  Leyden,  we  saw  the  Physic  Garden, 
stocked  with  great  variety  of  foreign  trees,  herbs,  etc.,  and  the 
Anatomy  Theatre,  which  has  the  skeletons  of  almost  all  manner 
of  beasts,  rare  as  well  as  common,  and  human  of  both  sexes,  etc. 
There  is  a  most  curious  collection  of  rarities,  heathen  idols, 
Indian  arrows,  gannents,  amiour,  money,  etc."  (Thoresby's 
Dianj,  1830,  i.  18-19)-] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  43 

Returning  to  my  lodging,  I  was  showed  the 
statue,  cut  in  stone,  of  the  happy  monk,  whom 
they  report  to  have  been  the  first  inventor  of  typo- 
graphy, set  over  the  door ;  but  this  is  much  con- 
troverted by  others,  who  strive  for  the  glory  of  it, 
besides  John  Gutenburg.^ 

I  was  brought  acquainted  with  a  Burgundian 
Jew,  who  had  married  an  apostate  Kentish  woman. 
I  asked  him  divers  questions :  he  told  me,  amongst 
other  things,  that  the  World  should  never  end ; 
that  our  souls  transmigrated,  and  that  even  those 
of  the  most  holy  persons  did  penance  in  the  bodies 
of  brutes  after  death, — and  so  he  interpreted  the 
banishment  and  savage  life  of  Nebuchadnezzar : 
that  all  the  Jews  should  rise  again,  and  be  led 
to  Jerusalem ;  that  the  Romans  only  were  the 
occasion  of  our  Saviour's  death,  whom  he  affirmed 
(as  the  Turks  do)  to  be  a  great  prophet,  but  not 
the  Messiah.  He  showed  me  several  books  of 
their  devotion,  which  he  had  translated  into 
English,  for  the  instruction  of  his  wife ;  he  told  me 
that  when  the  Messiah  came,  all  the  ships,  barks, 
and  vessels  of  Holland  should,  by  the  power  of 
certain  strange  whirlwinds,  be  loosed  from  their 
anchors,  and  transported  in  a  moment  to  all  the 
desolate  ports  and  havens  throughout  the  world, 
wherever  the  dispersion  was,  to  convey  their 
brethren  and  tribes  to  the  Holy  City  ;  with  other 
such  like  stuff.  He  was  a  merry  drunken  fellow, 
but  would  by  no  means  handle  any  money  (for 
something  I  purchased  of  him),  it  being  Saturday  ; 
but  desired  me  to  leave  it  in  the  window,  meaning 
to  receive  it  on  Sunday  morning. 

1^^  September,  I  went  to  Delft  and  Rotterdam, 
and  two  days  after  back  to  the  Hague,  to  bespeak 
a  suit  of  horseman's  armour,  which  I  caused  to  be 

1  [John  Gutenberg,  or  Gensfleisch,  1899-14-68,  who  printed  the 
Mazarin  Bible  at  Mentz  from  movable  metal  types  in  1450-55.] 


44  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

made  to  fit  me.  I  now  rode  out  of  towii  to  see 
the  monument  of  the  woman,  pretended  to  have 
been  a  countess  of  Holland,  reported  to  have  had 
as  many  children  at  one  birth,  as  there  are  days  in 
the  year.  The  basins  were  hung  up  in  which  they 
were  baptized,  together  with  a  large  description  of 
the  matter-of-fact  in  a  frame  of  carved  work,  in 
the  church  of  Lysdun,  a  desolate  place.  As  I  re- 
turned, I  diverted  to  see  one  of  the  Prince's  Palaces, 
called  the  Hof  Van  Hounsler's  Dyck,  a  very  fair 
cloistered  and  quadrangular  building.  The  gallery 
is  prettily  painted  with  several  huntings,  and  at 
one  end  a  gordian  knot,  with  rustical  instruments 
so  artificially  represented,  as  to  deceive  an  accu- 
rate eye  to  distinguish  it  from  actual  rilievo.  The 
ceiling  of  the  staircase  is  painted  with  the  "Rape 
of  Ganymede,"  and  other  pendent  figures,  the  work 
of  F.  Covenberg,  of  whose  hand  I  bought  an 
excellent  drollery,^  which  I  afterwards  parted  with 
to  my  brother  George  of  Wotton,  where  it  now 
hangs. '^  To  this  palace  join  a  fair  garden  and  park, 
curiously  planted  with  limes. 

%th  September.  Returned  to  Rotterdam,  through 
Delftshaven  and  Sedan,  where  were  at  that  time 
Colonel  Goring's  winter  quarters.  This  town  has 
heretofore  been  very  much  talked  of  for  witches.^ 

10th.  I  took  a  waggon  for  Dort,  to  be  present  at 
the  reception  of  the  Queen-mother,  JNIarie  deMedicis, 
Dowager  of  France,  widow  of  Henry  the  Great,'' 

1  [See  ante,  p.  32.] 

2  [It  is  still  there,  and  is  said  to  have  been  bought  6th  Sep- 
tember^ 1641.  The  Covenberg  mentioned  is  Christia<ui  van 
Kouwenberg,  1 604-67,  a  pupil  of  Jan  van  Nes.  He  studied  in 
Italy;  did  many  works  for  the  Prince  of  Orange  at  the  chateau 
of  Ryswyk  and  the  Palace  in  the  Wood  ;  and  died  at  Cologne.] 

"^  [Now  it  is  mainly  memorable  for  the  battle  of  Sejitember  1st, 
1 870,  between  the  Gennans  and  French,  and  the  capture  of 
Napoleon  III.  with  8vS,000  men.] 

4  [Henry  IV.,  1553-l6lO.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  45 

and  mother  to  the  French  King,  Louis  XIII.,  and 
the  Queen  of  England,  whence  she  newly  arrived, 
tossed  to  and  fro  by  the  various  fortune  of  her 
life.  From  this  city,  she  designed  for  Cologne,  con- 
ducted by  the  Earl  of  Arundel  ^  and  the  Herr  Van 
Brederode.  At  this  interview,  I  saw  the  Princess 
of  Orange,  and  the  lady  her  daughter,  afterwards 
married  to  the  House  of  Brandenburgh.  There 
was  little  remarkable  in  this  reception  befitting  the 
greatness  of  her  person  ;  but  an  universal  dis- 
content, which  accompanied  that  unlucky  woman 
wherever  she  went.^ 

\2th  Septeviber,  I  went  towards  Bois-le-Duc,^ 
where  we  arrived  on  the  16th,  at  the  time  when 
the  new  citadel  was  advancing,  with  innumerable 
hands,  and  incomparable  inventions  for  draining  off 
the  waters  out  of  the  fens  and  morasses  about  it, 
being  by  buckets,  mills,  cochleas,^  pumps,  and  the 
like ;  in  which  the  Hollanders  are  the  most  expert 
in  Europe.  Here  were  now  sixteen  companies  and 
nine  troops  of  horse.  They  were  also  cutting  a 
new  river,  to  pass  from  the  town  to  a  castle  not  far 
from  it.  Here  we  split  our  skiff,  falling  foul  upon 
another  through  negligence  of  the  master,  who  was 

See  ante,  p.  22.] 

1638  she  had  come  to  England  from  Holland.  But  the 
{)opular  hatred  of  popery  drove  her  back  again  in  August,  l641. 
Lilly,  the  astrologer,  thus  speaks  of  her  at  this  time: — "I  beheld 
the  Old  Queen  Mother  of  France  departing  from  London,  in 
Comj^any  of  Thomas  Earl  o^ Arundel;  a  sad  Spectacle  of  Mortality 
it  was,  and  produced  Tears  from  mine  Eyes,  and  many  other 
Beholders,  to  see  an  Aged  lean  decrepid  poor  Queen,  ready  for 
her  Grave,  necessitated  to  depart  hence,  having  no  Place  of 
Residence  in  this  World  left  her  "  {Life  and  Death  of  King  Charles, 
1715,  p.  49).  Holland  declined  to  harbour  her,  and  she  sought 
an  asylum  in  the  electorate  of  Cologne,  where  she  died,  3rd 
July,  1642.  There  is  a  portrait  of  her  by  the  younger  Pourbus 
at  Hampton  Court,  apparently  painted  subsequent  to  the  assas- 
sination of  Henry  IV.  by  Ravaillac  in  l6lO.] 

^  rS  Hertogenbosch  or  'S  Boscli  in  Dutch.] 

*  [The  spiral  water-screw  of  Archimedes.] 


1  rse< 

2  [In 


46  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

fain  to  run  aground,  to  our  no  little  hazard.  At 
our  arrival,  a  soldier  conveyed  us  to  the  Governor, 
where  our  names  were  taken,  and  our  persons 
examined  very  strictly. 

11th  September,  I  was  permitted  to  walk  the 
round  and  view  the  works,  and  to  visit  a  convent 
of  religious  women  of  the  order  of  St.  Clara  (who 
by  the  capitulation  were  allowed  to  enjoy  their 
monastery  and  maintenance  undisturbed,  at  the 
surrender  of  the  town  twelve  years  since),  where 
we  had  a  collation  and  very  civil  entertainment. 
They  had  a  neat  chapel,  in  which  the  heart  of  the 
Duke  of  Cleves,  their  founder,  lies  inhumed  under 
a  plate  of  brass.  Within  the  cloister  is  a  garden, 
and  in  the  middle  of  it  an  overgrown  lime-tree,  out 
of  whose  stem,  near  the  root,  issue  five  upright  and 
exceeding  tall  suckers,  or  bolls,  the  like  whereof 
for  evenness  and  height  I  had  not  observed. 

The  chief  church  of  this  city  is  curiously  carved 
within  and  without,  furnished  w  ith  a  pair  of  organs, 
and  a  most  magnificent  font  of  copper.^ 

18^/^  I  went  to  see  that  most  impregnable 
town  and  fort  of  Heusden,  where  I  was  exceedingly 
obliged  to  one  Colonel  Crombe,  the  lieutenant- 
governor,  who  would  needs  make  me  accept  the 
honour  of  being  captain  of  the  watch,  and  to  give 
the  word  this  night.  The  fortification  is  very 
irregular,  but  esteemed  one  of  the  most  consider- 
able for  strength  and  situation  in  the  Netherlands. 
We  departed  towards  Gorcum.  Here  Sir  Kenelm 
Digby,^  travelling  towards  Cologne,  met  us. 

1  [The  Cathedral  of  St.  John,  one  of  the  three  most  important 
mediaeval  churches  in  Holland.  The  coj:)per  font  in  the  bap- 
tistery dates  from  1492.] 

2  [Sir  Kenelm  Digby,  1603-65,  author,  courtier,  sailor,  and 
diplomatist.  He  was  the  only  son  of  Sir  Everard  Digby,  executed 
for  his  share  in  the  Gunpowder  Plot.  Knighted  by  James  I.  in 
l623,  Sir  Kenelm  had  successfully  commanded  a  privateering 
squadron  in  the  Mediterranean  against  the  French  and  Venetians 


1641 


JOHN  EVELYN  47 


The  next  morning,  the  19th,  we  arrived  at  Dort, 
passing  by  the  Decoys,  where  they  catch  innumer- 
able quantities  of  fowl. 

22nd  September.  I  went  again  to  Rotterdam  to 
receive  a  pass  which  I  expected  from  Brussels,  secur- 
ing me  through  Brabant  and  Flanders,  designing  to 
go  into  England  through  those  countries.  The 
Cardinal  Infante,^  brother  to  the  King  of  Spain, 
was  then  governor.  By  this  pass,  having  obtained 
another  from  the  Prince  of  Orange,  upon  the  24th 
of  September  I  departed  through  Dort ;  but  met 
with  very  bad  tempestuous  weather,  being  several 
times  driven  back,  and  obliged  to  lie  at  anchor  off 
Keele,  other  vessels  lying  there  waiting  better 
weather.  The  25th  and  26th  we  made  other 
essays  ;  but  were  again  repulsed  to  the  harbour, 
where  lay  sixty  vessels  waiting  to  sail.  But,  on 
the  27th,  we,  impatient  of  the  time  and  inhospit- 
ableness  of  the  place,  sailed  again  with  a  contrary 
and  impetuous  wind  and  a  terrible  sea,  in  great 
jeopardy ;  for  we  had  much  ado  to  keep  ourselves 
above  water,  the  billows  breaking  desperately  on 
our  vessel :  we  were  driven  into  Willemstad,  a 
place  garrisoned  by  the  English,  where  the 
Governor  had  a  fair  house.  The  works,  and 
especially  the  counterscarp,  are  curiously  hedged 
with  quick,  and  planted  with  a  stately  row  of 
limes  on  the  rampart.  The  church  is  of  a  round 
structure,   with  a    cupola,   and   the   town  belongs 

in  l628  ;  and  he  had  akeady  married  and  lost  his  wife,  the 
beautiful  Venetia  Stanley,  l633.  In  this  year  (1641),  he 
fought  a  duel  at  Paris  with  a  certain  Mont  de  Ros,  who  had 
maligned  King  Charles,  and  he  killed  his  man.  His  curious 
Private  Memoirs  were  pubHshed  in  1827  with  an  Introduction 
by  Sir  Harris  Nicolas;  and  his  life  was  written  in  I896  [by 
T.  Longueville].  There  are  portraits  of  him  by  Vandyck 
and  Cornelius  Janssen.  (See  post,  under  7th  November, 
1651.] 

1  [See  ante,  p.  27  w.] 


48  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

entirely  to  the  Prince  of  Orange,  as  does  that  of 
Breda,  and  some  other  places. 

2^th  September.  Failing  of  an  appointment, 
I  was  constrained  to  return  to  Dort  for  a  bill  of 
exchange ;  but  it  was  the  1st  of  October  ere  I 
could  get  back.  At  Keele,  I  numbered  141  vessels, 
who  durst  not  yet  venture  out ;  but,  animated  by 
the  master  of  a  stout  barque,  after  a  small  en- 
counter of  weather,  we  arrived  by  four  that 
evening  at  Steenbergen.  In  the  passage  we  sailed 
over  a  sea  called  the  Plaats,  an  exceeding  dangerous 
water,  by  reason  of  two  contrary  tides  which 
meet  there  very  impetuously.  Here,  because  of 
the  many  shelves,  we  were  forced  to  tide  it  along 
the  channel ;  but,  ere  we  could  gain  the  place,  the 
ebb  was  so  far  spent,  that  we  were  compelled  to 
foot  it  at  least  two  long  miles,  through  a  most 
pelting  shower  of  rain. 

2nd  October,  With  a  gentleman  of  the  Rhyn- 
grave's,  I  went  in  a  cart,  or  tumbrel  (for  it  was 
no  better ;  no  other  accommodation  could  be  pro- 
cured), of  two  wheels  and  one  horse,  to  Bergen-op- 
Zoom,  meeting  by  the  way  divers  parties  of  his 
Highness's  army  now  retiring  towards  their  winter 
quarters  ;  the  convoy  skiffs  riding  by  thousands 
along  the  harbour.  The  fort  was  heretofore  built 
by  the  English. 

The  next  morning,  I  embarked  for  Lillo,  having 
refused  a  convoy  of  horse  which  was  offered  me. 
The  tide  being  against  us,  we  landed  short  of  the 
fort  on  the  beach,  where  we  marched  half  leg  deep 
in  mud,  ere  we  could  gain  the  dyke,  which,  being 
five  or  six  miles  from  Lillo,  we  were  forced  to  walk 
on  foot  very  wet  and  discomposed  ;  and  then 
entering  a  boat  we  passed  the  ferry,  and  came  to 
the  castle.  Being  taken  before  the  Governor,  he 
demanded  my  pass,  to  which  he  set  his  hand,  and 
asked  two  rix-doUars  for  a  fee,  which  methought 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  49 

appeared  very  exorbitant  in  a  soldier  of  his  quality. 
I  told  him  that  I  had  already  purchased  my  pass 
of  the  commissaries  at  Rotterdam ;  at  which,  in  a 
great  fury,  snatching  the  paper  out  of  my  hand,  he 
rtung  it  scornfully  under  the  table,  and  bade  me  try 
whether  I  could  get  to  Antwerp  without  his  per- 
mission :  but  I  had  no  sooner  given  him  the  dollars, 
than  he  returned  the  passport  surlily  enough,  and 
made  me  pay  fourteen  Dutch  shillings  to  the 
cantone,  or  searcher,  for  my  contempt,  which  I  was 
glad  to  do  for  fear  of  further  trouble,  should  he 
have  discovered  my  Spanish  pass,  in  which  the 
States  were  therein  treated  by  the  name  of  rebels. 
Besides  all  these  exactions,  I  gave  the  commissary 
six  shillings,  to  the  soldiers  something,  and,  ere 
perfectly  clear  of  this  frontier,  thirty-one  stivers  to 
the  man-of-war,  who  lay  blocking  up  the  river 
betwixt  Lillo  and  the  opposite  sconce  called  Lief- 
kenshoek. 

Uh  October,  We  sailed  by  several  Spanish 
forts,  out  of  one  of  which,  St.  Mary's  port,  came  a 
Don  on  board  us,  to  whom  1  showed  my  Spanish 
pass,  which  he  signed,  and  civilly  dismissed  us. 
Hence,  sailing  by  another  man-of-war,  to  which  we 
lowered  our  topsails,  we  at  length  arrived  at 
Antwerp. 

The  lodgings  here  are  very  handsome  and  con- 
venient. 1  lost  little  time;  but,  with  the  aid  of 
one  Mr.  Lewkner,  our  conductor,  we  visited  divers 
churches,  colleges,  and  monasteries.  The  Church 
of  the  Jesuits  is  most  sumptuous  and  magnificent ; 
a  glorious  fabric  without  and  within,  wholly  in- 
crusted  with  marble,  inlaid  and  polished  into  divers 
representations  of  histories,  landscapes,  and  flowers. 
On  the  high  altar  is  placed  the  statue  of  the  Blessed 
Virgin  and  our  Saviour  in  white  marble,  with  a 
boss  in  the  girdle  set  with  very  fair  and  rich 
sapphires,  and  divers  other  stones  of  price.      The 

VOL.  I  E 


50  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

choir  is  a  glorious  piece  of  architecture  :  the  pulpit 
supported  by  four  angels,  and  adorned  with  other 
carvings,  and  rare  pictures  by  Rubens,  now  lately 
dead,  and  divers  votive  tables  and  relics.^  Hence, 
to  the  Vrouw  Kirk,  or  Notre  Dame  of  Antwerp  :  it 
is  a  very  venerable  fabric,  built  after  the  Gothic 
manner,  especially  the  tower,  which  I  ascended, 
the  better  to  take  a  view  of  the  country  adjacent ;  - 
which,  happening  on  a  day  when  the  sun  shone 
exceedingly  bright,  and  darted  his  rays  without 
any  interruption,  afforded  so  bright  a  reflection  to 
us  who  were  above,  and  had  a  full  prospect  of 
both  land  and  water  about  it,  that  I  was  much 
confirmed  in  my  opinion  of  the  moon's  being  of 
some  such  substance  as  this  earthly  globe  :  perceiv- 
ing all  the  subjacent  country,  at  so  small  an  hori- 
zontal distance,  to  repercuss  such  a  light  as  I  could 
hardly  look  against,  save  where  the  river,  and  other 
large  water  within  our  view,  appeared  of  a  more 
dark  and  uniform  colour ;  resembling  those  spots  in 
the  moon  supposed  to  be  seas  there,  according  to 
Hevelius,^  and  as  they  appear  in  our  late  teles- 
copes.*    I  numbered  in  this  church  thirty  privileged 

1  [St.  Carlo  Borromeo.  Its  pictures  by  Rubens,  vriih  excep- 
tion of  three  altar-pieces,  now  in  the  Imperial  M  useum  of  Vienna, 
were  destroyed  by  lightning  in  1718.  Rubens  died  May  30, 
164.0.1 

2  ["The  view  from  the  upper  gallery  [of  the  steeple]  takes 
in  the  towers  of  Bergen-op-Zoom,  Flushing,  Breda,  Mechlin, 
Brussels,  and  Ghent "  (Murray's  Handbook  for  Belgium,  etc., 
1852,  p.  54).] 

3  [John  Hevelius,  or  Hevelke,  of  Dantzic,  l6ll-87.] 

^  In  the  1827  edition  of  the  Diari/,  i.  42-48,  the  entry 
descriptive  of  the  tower  of  Antwerp  Cathedral  is  thus  given  : — 
"  It  is  a  very  venerable  fabriq,  built  after  the  Gotick  manner ;  the 
tower  is  of  an  excessive  height.  This  I  ascended  that  I  might 
the  better  take  a  view  of  the  country  about  it,  which  hajjpening 
on  a  day  when  the  sun  shonn  exceedingly  hot,  and  darted  the 
rayes  without  any  interruption,  afforded  so  bright  a  reflection  to 
us  who  were  above,  and  had  a  full  prospect  of  both  land  and 
water  about  it,  that  I  was  much  confinned  in  my  opinion  of  the 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  51 

altars,  that  of  St.  Sebastian  adorned  with  a  painting 
of  his  martyrdom. 

[We  went  to  see  the  Jerusalem  Church, 
affirmed  to  have  been  founded  by  one  who,  upon 
divers  great  wagers,  passed  to  and  fro  between  that 
city  and  Antwerp  on  foot,  by  which  he  procured 
large  sums  of  money,  which  he  bestowed  on  this 
pious  structure.^]  Hence,  to  St.  Mary's  Cliapel, 
where  I  liad  some  conference  with  two  English 
Jesuits,  confessors  to  Colonel  Jaye's  regiment. 
These  fathers  conducted  us  to  the  Cloister  of 
Nuns  where  we  heard  a  Dutch  sermon  upon  the 
exposure  of  the  Host.  The  Senate-house  of  this 
city  is  a  very  spacious  and  magnificent  building. 

5th  October.  I  visited  the  Jesuits'  School, 
which,  for  the  fame  of  their  method,  I  greatly 
desired  to  see.  They  were  divided  into  four  classes, 
with  several  ^  inscriptions  over  each  :  as,  first.  Ad 
mqjorem  Dei  gloriani ;  over  the  second,  Piinceps 
diligentice  ;  the  third,  Imperator  Byzantiorum  ;  over 
the  fourth  and  uppermost,  Imjperator  liomanorum, 

moon's  being  of  some  such  substance  as  this  earthly  globe 
consists  of;  perceiving  all  the  subjacent  country,  at  so  small  an 
horizontal  distance,  to  repercuss  such  a  light  as  I  could  hardly 
look  against,  save  where  the  river,  and  other  large  water  within 
our  view,  appeared  of  a  more  dark  and  uniforme  colour,  re- 
sembling those  spotts  in  the  moone  supposed  to  be  seas  there, 
according  to  our  new  philosophy,  and  viewed  by  optical  glasses. 
I  numbered  in  this  church  30  privileged  altars,  whereof  that  of 
St.  Sebastian's  was  rarely  painted."  Occasional  sentences  of  the 
preceding  matter  are  entirely  new. 

^  This  notice,  slipped  by  accident  into  the  entries  which 
refer  to  Antwerp,  belongs  to  those  of  Bruges.  [The  Jerusalem 
Church  of  Bruges,  built  in  1428,  takes  its  name  from  a  copy  of 
the  Holy  Sepulchre  which  it  contains,  to  reproduce  which 
-accurately  one  of  its  founders, — the  brothers  Adornes, — is  said 
to  have  made  no  fewer  than  three  journeys  to  the  Holy  Land. 
Southey,  who  saw  it  in  1815,  considered  it  a  "most  ridiculous 
puppet  show"  {Journal  of  a  Tour  i?i  the  Nctheiiamb,  1903, 
p.  225).] 

2  [Separate.] 


52  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

Under  these,  the  scholars  and  pupils  had  their 
places  or  forms,  with  titles  and  priority  accord- 
ing to  their  proficiency.  Their  dormitory  and 
lodgings  above  were  exceedingly  neat.  They  have 
a  prison  for  the  offenders  and  less  diligent ;  and, 
in  an  ample  court  to  recreate  themselves  in,  is 
an  aviary,  and  a  yard  where  eagles,  vultures,  foxes, 
monkeys,  and  other  animals  are  kept,  to  divert  the 
boys  withal  at  their  hours  of  remission.  To  this 
school  join  the  music  and  mathematical  schools, 
and  lastly  a  pretty,  neat  chapel.  The  great  street  is 
built  after  the  Italian  mode,  in  the  middle  whereof 
is  erected  a  glorious  crucifix  of  white  and  black 
marble,  greater  than  the  life.  This  is  a  very  fair 
and  noble  street,  clean,  well  paved,  and  sweet  to 
admiration. 

The  Oesters  house,  belonging  to  the  East  India 
Company,  is  a  stately  palace,  adorned  with  more 
than  300  windows.  From  hence,  walking  into  the 
Gun-garden,  I  was  allowed  to  see  as  much  of  the 
citadel  as  is  permitted  to  strangers.  It  is  a  match- 
less piece  of  modern  fortification,  accommodated 
with  lodgments  for  the  soldiers  and  magazines. 
The  grachts,  ramparts,  and  platforms  are  stupen- 
dous. Returning  by  the  shop  of  Plantin,^  I  bought 
some  books,  for  the  name's  sake  only  of  that  famous 
printer. 

But  there  was  nothing  about  this  city  which 
more  ravished  me  than  those  delicious  shades  and 
walks  of  stately  trees,  which  render  the  fortified 
works  of  the  town  one  of  the  sweetest  places  in 
Europe;-  nor  did  I  ever  observe  a  more  quiet,  clean, 

1  [Christopher  Plan  tin,  1514-69, — "first  printer  to  the  King, 
and  the  King  of  printers."  His  "  shop,"  altered  and  extended  by 
the  architect,  PieiTe  Dens,  is  now  the  Plantin-Moretiis  Museum, 
to  which  a  delightful  volume  has  been  devoted  by  Mr.  Theo.  L. 
De  Vinne  (Grolier  Club,  New  York,  1888).] 

*  [Upon  this  Southey  comments  as  follows  : — "  Long  will  it 
be  before  any  traveller  can  again  speak  of  the  delicious  shades 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  58 

elegantly  built,  and  civil  place,  than  this  magnifi- 
cent and  famous  city  of  Antwerp.  In  the  evening, 
I  was  invited  to  Signor  Duerte's,  a  Portuguese  by 
nation,  an  exceeding  rich  merchant,  whose  palace 
I  found  to  be  furnished  like  a  prince's.  His  three 
daughters  entertained  us  with  rare  music,  vocal 
and  instrumental,  which  was  finished  with  a  hand- 
some collation.  I  took  leave  of  the  ladies  and  of 
sweet  Antwerp,  as  late  as  it  was,  embarking  for 
Brussels  on  the  Scheldt  in  a  vessel,  which  delivered 
us  to  a  second  boat  (in  another  river)  drawn  or 
towed  by  horses.  In  this  passage,  we  frequently 
changed  our  barge,  by  reason  of  the  bridges 
thwarting  our  course.  Here  I  observed  numerous 
families  inhabiting  their  vessels  and  floating  dwell- 
ings, so  built  and  divided  by  cabins,  as  few  houses  on 
land  enjoyed  better  accommodation  ;  stored  with 
all  sorts  of  utensils,  neat  chambers,  a  pretty  parlour, 
and  kept  so  sweet,  that  nothing  could  be  more 
refreshing.  The  rivers  on  which  they  are  drawn 
are  very  clear  and  still  waters,  and  pass  through  a 
most  pleasant  country  on  both  the  banks.  We  had 
in  our  boat  a  very  good  ordinary,  and  excellent 
company.  The  cut  is  straight  as  a  line  for  twenty 
English  miles.  What  I  much  admired  was,  near 
the  midway,  another  artificial  river,  which  inter- 
sects this  at  right  angles,  but  on  an  eminence  of 
ground,  and  is  carried  in  an  aqueduct  of  stone  so 
far  above  the  other,  as  that  the  waters  neither 
mingle,  nor  hinder  one  another's  passage. 

We  came  to  a  town  called  Villefrow,  where  all 
the  passengers  went  on  shore  to  wash  at  a  fountain 
issuing  out  of  a  pillar,  and  then  came  aboard  again. 
On  the  margin  of  this  long  tract  are  abundance  of 

and  stately  trees  of  Antwerp !  Carnot,  in  preparing  to  defend 
the  place^  laid  what  was  then  its  beautiful  environs  as  bare  as  a 
desert"  (Quarter 1 1/  Review,  April,  1818,  p.  5).  Southey  visited 
Antwerp  in  the  Waterloo  year.] 


54  THE  DIARY  OF 


1641 


shrines  and  images,  defended  from  the  injuries  of 
the  weather  by  niches  of  stone  wherein  they  are 
placed. 

1th  \JothT\  October.  We  arrived  at  Brussels  at 
nine  in  the  morning.  The  Stadt-house,  near  the 
market-place,  is,  for  the  carving  in  freestone,  a  most 
laborious  and  finished  piece,  well  worthy  observa- 
tion. The  flesh-shambles  are  also  built  of  stone. 
I  was  pleased  with  certain  small  engines,  by  which 
a  girl  or  boy  was  able  to  draw  up,  or  let  down, 
great  bridges,  which  in  divers  parts  of  this  city 
crossed  the  channel  for  the  benefit  of  passengers. 
The  walls  of  this  town  are  very  entire,  and  full  of 
towers  at  competent  distances.  The  cathedral  is 
built  upon  a  very  high  and  exceeding  steep  ascent, 
to  which  we  mounted  by  fair  steps  of  stone. 
Hence  I  walked  to  a  convent  of  English  Nuns, 
with  whom  I  sat  discoursing  most  part  of  the 
afternoon. 

Sth  [7th  ?].  Being  the  morning  I  came  away,  I 
went  to  see  the  Prince's  Court,  an  ancient,  confused 
building,  not  much  unlike  the  Hof,  at  the  Hague  : 
there  is  here  likewise  a  very  large  Hall,  where  they 
vend  all  sorts  of  wares.  Through  this  we  passed 
by  the  chapel,  which  is  indeed  rarely  arched,  and 
in  the  middle  of  it  was  the  hearse,  or  catafalco,  of 
the  late  Archduchess,  the  wise  and  pious  Clara 
Eugenia.^  Out  of  this  we  were  conducted  to  the 
lodgings,  tapestried  with  incomparable  arras,  and 
adorned  with  many  excellent  pieces  of  Rubens,  old 
and  young  Brueghel,^  Titian,  and  Steenwyck,  with 
stories  of  most  of  the  late  actions  in  the  Nether- 
lands. 

^  [The  Infanta  Clara  Isabella  Eugenia  (daughter  of  Phihp  II.), 
to  whom  the  "Spanish  Netherlands"  were  ceded  in  15.98  on  her 
marriage  with  Albert,  Archduke  of  Austria,  the  Spanish  Governor. 
He  died  in  1621,  and  she  reigned  alone  until  16'33.] 

2  [I.e.  "Peasant"  Brueghel,  1525-6.9,  and  his  son,  "Hell-fire" 
Brueghel,  1564-1638.] 


1641 


JOHN  EVELYN  55 


By  an  accident,  we  could  not  see  the  library. 
There  is  a  fair  terrace  which  looks  to  the  vineyard, 
in  which,  on  pedestals,  are  fixed  the  statues  of  all 
the  Spanish  kings  of  the  house  of  Austria.  The 
opposite  walls  are  painted  by  Rubens,^  being  an 
history  of  the  late  tumults  in  Belgia  ;  in  the  last 
piece  the  Archduchess  shuts  a  great  pair  of  gates 
upon  Mars,  who  is  coming  out  of  hell,  armed,  and 
in  a  menacing  posture  ;  which,  with  that  other  of 
the  Infanta  taking  leave  of  Don  Philip  the  Fourth, 
is  a  most  incomparable  table. 

From  hence,  we  walked  into  the  park,  which 
for  being  entirely  within  the  walls  of  the  city  is 
particularly  remarkable  :  nor  is  it  less  pleasant  than 
if  in  the  most  solitary  recesses ;  so  naturally  is  it 
furnished  with  whatever  may  render  it  agreeable, 
melancholy,'-  and  country-like.  Here  is  a  stately 
heronry,  divers  springs  of  v/ater,  artificial  cascades, 
rocks,  grots ;  one  whereof  is  composed  of  the 
extravagant  roots  of  trees,  cunningly  built  and 
hung  together  witli  wires.  In  this  park  are  both 
fallow  and  red  deer. 

From  hence,  we  were  led  into  the  vmnege,  and 
out  of  that  into  a  most  sweet  and  delicious  garden, 
where  was  another  grot  of  more  neat  and  costly 
materials,  full  of  noble  statues,  and  entertaining  us 
with  artificial  music  ;  but  the  hedge  of  water,  in 
form  of  lattice- work,  which  the  fountaineer  caused 
to  ascend  out  of  the  earth  by  degrees,  exceedingly 
pleased  and  surprised  me  ;  for  thus,  with  a  pervious 
wall,  or  rather  a  palisade  hedge  of  water,  was  the 
whole  parterre  environed. 

There  is  likewise  a  fair  aviary  ;  and  in  the  court 
next  it  are  kept  divers  sorts  of  animals,  rare  and 
exotic    fowl,    as    eagles,    cranes,    storks,    bustards, 

1  [He  was  court  ])ainter  to  the  Archduke  and  his  wife.] 
-  [Evelyn  probably  means  "retired,"  "suited  to  contempla- 
tion."] 


5G  THE  DIARY  OF 


1641 


pheasants  of  several  kinds,  and  a  duck  having  four 
wings.  In  another  division  of  the  same  close  are 
rabbits  of  an  almost  perfect  yellow  colour. 

There  was  no  Court  now  in  the  palace ;  the 
Infante  Cardinal,  who  was  the  Governor  of 
Flanders,  being  dead  but  newly,  and  every  one  in 
deep  mourning.^ 

At  near  eleven  o'clock,  I  repaired  to  his 
Majesty's  agent.  Sir  Henry  de  Vic,-  who  very 
courteously  received  me,  and  accommodated  me 
with  a  coach  and  six  horses,  which  carried  me  from 
Brussels  to  Ghent,  where  it  was  to  meet  my  Lord 
of  Arundel,  Earl  Marshal  of  England,^  who  had 
requested  me  when  I  was  at  Antwerp  to  send  it  for 
him,  if  I  went  not  thither  myself. 

Thus  taking  leave  of  Brussels  and  a  sad  Court, 
yet  full  of  gallant  persons  (for  in  this  small  city,  the 
acquaintance  being  universal,  ladies  and  gentlemen, 
I  perceived,  had  great  diversions,  and  frequent 
meetings),  I  hasted  towards  Ghent.  On  the  way, 
I  met  with  divers  little  waggons,  prettily  contrived, 
and  full  of  peddling  merchandises,  drawn  by  mastiff- 
dogs,  harnessed  completely  like  so  many  coach- 
horses  ;  in  some  four,  in  others  six,  as  in  Brussels 
itself  I    had    observed.       In    Antwerp    I    saw,   as 

^  [Ferdinand  of  Spain,  Governor  of  Flanders  from  l633  to 
1641,  on  the  9th  November  in  which  latter  year  lie  died  at 
Brussels.  He  was  the  third  son  of  Philip  III.,  and  brother  of 
Philip  IV.     See  ante,  pp.  27  and  47.] 

-  For  twenty  years  resident  at  Brussels  for  Charles  II.  ;  also 
Chancellor  of  the  Order  of  the  Garter;  and  in  l66*2  appointed 
Comptroller  of  the  Household  of  the  Duke  of  York.  He  died 
in  1672.  [He  had  long  been  in  the  English  Service,  and  was 
with  Buckingham  at  Rochelle,  concerning  which  affair  there  are 
several  letters  from  him  to  Lo)'d  Conway  in  Hardwicke's  Collection 
of  State  Papers.  His  only  daughter,  Aima  Charlotta,  married 
John  Lord  Frescheville,  Baron  of  Staveley,  in  Derbyshire.] 

2  [As  already  stated  at  p.  45,  the  Earl  had  brought  Marie  de 
Medicis  to  the  Continent.  In  Februaiy,  l642,  he  left  England 
again  for  good,  ostensibly  acting  as  escort  to  Henrietta  Maria 
and  Princess  Mary  (see  post,  under  August,  1645).] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  57 

I  remember,  four  dogs  draw  five  lusty  children  in 
a  chariot :  the  master  commands  them  whither  he 
pleases,  crying  his  wares  about  the  streets.  After 
passing  through  Ouse,  by  six  in  the  evening,  I 
arrived  at  Ghent.  This  is  a  city  of  so  great  a 
circumference,  that  it  is  reported  to  be  seven  leagues 
round ;  but  there  is  not  lialf  of  it  now  built,  much 
of  it  remaining  in  fields  and  desolate  pastures  even 
within  the  walls,  which  have  strong  gates  towards 
the  west,  and  two  fair  churches. 

Here  I  beheld  the  palace  wherein  John  of 
Gaunt  ^  and  Charles  V.  were  born ;  whose  statue  - 
stands  in  the  market-place,  upon  a  high  pillar,  with 
his  sword  drawn,  to  which  (as  I  was  told)  the 
magistrates  and  burghers  were  wont  to  repair  upon 
a  certain  day  every  year  with  ropes  about  their 
necks,  in  token  of  submission  and  penance  for  an 
old  rebellion  of  theirs ;  but  now  the  hemp  is 
changed  into  a  blue  ribbon.  Here  is  planted  tlie 
badliscOy  or  great  gun,  so  much  talked  of  ^  The 
Lys  and  the  Scheldt  meeting  in  this  vast  city, 
divide  it  into  twenty -six  islands,  which  are  united 
by  many  bridges,  somewhat  resembling  Venice. 
This  night  I  supped  with  the  Abbot  of  Andoyne, 
a  pleasant  and  courteous  priest. 

Stk  Octobe7\  I  passed  by  boat  to  Bruges, 
taking   in   at    a    redoubt    a    convoy    of    fourteen 

1  [In  1338-39  it  had  been  the  residence  of  Edward  III.,  and 
thus  became  the  birthplace  of  Queen  Philippa's  son.] 

2  [Charles  V.'s.  It  was  destroyed  in  1792;  and  its  site  is 
now  occupied  by  a  bronze  statue  of  Jacques  van  Artevelde,  by 
P.  Devigne-Quyo  (1863).] 

2  [This  was  no  doubt  the  great  bombard  known  as  Mad 
Margery  (De  Dalle  Griete),  a  relative  of  Edinburgh's  Mons  Meg, 
It  is  of  hammered  iron,  hooped  like  a  tub.  Its  length  is  nineteen 
feet ;  its  circumference  eleven  feet.  That  egregious  traveller, 
Thomas  Coryat  of  Odcombe,  found  another  of  the  family  in  the 
Citadel  at  Milan, — "an  exceeding  huge  Basiliske,  which  was  so 
great  that  it  would  easily  contayne  the  body  of  a  very  corpulent 
man"  {Crudities,  1776,  i.  125).] 


58  THE  DIARY  OF  i64i 

musketeers,  because  the  other  side  of  the  river, 
being  Contribution-land,  was  subject  to  the  inroads 
and  de[)redations  of  the  bordering  States.  This 
river  was  cut  by  the  famous  Marquis  Spinola,  and 
is  in  my  judgment  a  wonderful  piece  of  labour,  and 
a  worthy  public  work,  being  in  some  places  forced 
through  the  main  rock,  to  an  incredible  depth,  for 
thirty  miles.  At  the  end  of  each  mile  is  built  a 
small  redoubt,  which  communicates  a  line  to  the 
next,  and  so  the  whole  way,  from  whence  we 
received  many  volleys  of  shot,  in  comphment  to 
my  Lord  Marshal,^  who  was  in  our  vessel,  a  pas- 
senger with  us.  At  five  tliat  evening,  we  were 
met  by  the  magistrates  of  Bruges,  who  came  out  to 
convey  my  lord  to  his  lodgings,  at  whose  cost  he 
was  entertained  that  night. 

The  morning  after  we  went  to  see  the  Stadt- 
house  and  adjoining  aqueduct,  the  church,  and 
market-place,  where  we  saw  cheeses  and  butter 
piled  up  in  heaps ;  also  the  fortifications  and 
grachts,  which  are  extremely  large. 

The  9th,  we  arrived  at  Ostend  by  a  straight 
and  artificial  river.  Here,  with  leave  of  the 
captain  of  the  watch,  I  was  carried  to  survey  the 
river  and  harbour,  with  fortifications  on  one  side 
thereof:  the  east  and  south  are  mud  and  earth 
walls.  It  is  a  very  strong  place,  and  lately  stood  a 
memorable  siege  three  years,  three  months,  three 
weeks,  and  three  days."  I  went  to  see  the  church 
of  St.  Peter,^  and  the  cloisters  of  the  Franciscans. 

lOt/i  October,  I  went  by  waggon,  accompanied 
with  a  jovial  commissary,  to  Dunkirk,  the  journey 
being  made  all  on  the  sea-sands.     On  our  arrival, 

1  [The  Earl  of  Arundel.] 

2  [From  l601  to  l604,  when  it  finally  yielded  to  Spinola,  but 
only  by  command  of  the  States -General,  who,  owing  to  its 
obstinate  resistance,  had  gained  their  ends.] 

2  [Burned  down  in  18.96,  and  now  rebuilt.] 


1641 


JOHN  EVELYN  59 


we  first  viewed  the  court  of  guards,  the  works,  the 
town-house,  and  the  new  church  ;  the  latter  is  very 
beautiful  within  ;  and  another,  wherein  they  showed 
us  an  excellent  piece  of  **  Our  Saviour's  bearing  the 
Cross."  The  harbour,  in  two  channels,  coming  up 
to  the  town  was  choked  with  a  multitude  of  prizes. 

From  hence,  the  next  day,  I  marched  three 
English  miles  towards  the  packet-boat,  being  a 
pretty  frigate  of  six  guns,  which  embarked  us  for 
England  about  three  in  the  afternoon. 

At  our  going  oif,  the  fort,  against  which  our 
pinnace  anchored,  saluted  my  Lord  Marshal  with 
twelve  great  guns,  which  we  answered  with  three. 
Not  having  the  wind  favourable,  we  anchored  that 
night  before  Calais.  About  midnight,  we  weighed  ; 
and,  at  four  in  the  morning,  though  not  far  from 
Dover,  we  could  not  make  the  pier  till  four  that 
afternoon,  the  wind  proving  contrary  and  driving 
us  westward  :  but  at  last  we  got  on  shore,  October 
the  12th. 

From  Dover,  I  that  night  rode  post  to  Canter- 
bury. Here  I  visited  the  cathedral,  then  in  great 
splendour ;  those  famous  windows  being  entire, 
since  demolished  by  the  fanatics.^  The  next  morn- 
ing, by  Sittingbourne,  1  came  to  Rochester,  and 
thence  to  Gravesend,  where  a  light -horseman  (as 
they  call  it)  ^  taking  us  in,  we  spent  our  tide  as  far 
as  Greenwich.  From  hence,  after  we  had  a  little 
refreshed  ourselves  at  the  College  (for  by  reason  of 
the  contagion  then  in  London  we  balked^  the  inns), 
we  came  to  London,  landing  at  Arundel  -  stairs.'' 

1  [In  164-0,  Richard  Culmer^  a  fanatical  divine^  known  as 
^'Blue  Dick/'  was  coramissioned  by  the  ParUament  to  destroy 
the  stained  glass  of  Canterbury  Cathedral.] 

2  [According  to  Smyth's  Sailor  s  Word-Book,  this  is  "  an  old 
name  for  the  light  boat,  smce  named  gig."] 

3  [Avoided,  gave  the  go-by  to.] 

*  [These  were  at  the  bottom  of  Arundel  Street,  near  the 
present  Ai*undel  Hotel.] 


m  THE  DIARY  OF  i642 

Here  I  took  leave  of  his  Lordship,  and  retired  to 
my  lodgings  in  the  Middle  Temple,^  being  about 
two  in  the  morning,  the  14th  of  October. 

16tk  October.  I  went  to  see  my  brother  at 
Wotton.  On  the  31st  of  that  month  (unfortunate 
for  the  Irish  Rebellion,  which  broke  out  on  the 
23rd),^  I  was  one-and-twenty  years  of  age. 

7tk  November,  After  receiving  the  Sacrament 
at  Wotton  church,  I  visited  my  Lord  jNIarshal  at 
Albury.^ 

23rc^.  I  returned  to  London  ;  and,  on  the  25th, 
saw  his  Majesty  ride  through  the  City  after  his 
coming  out  of  Scotland,  and  a  Peace  proclaimed, 
^vith  great  acclamations  and  joy  of  the  giddy  people. 

\bth  December,  I  was  elected  one  of  the  Comp- 
trollers of  the  Middle  Temple  -  revellers,  as  the 
fashion  of  the  young  students  and  gentlemen  was, 
the  Christmas  being  kept  this  year  with  great 
solemnity ;  but,  being  desirous  to  pass  it  in  the 
country,  I  got  leave  to  resign  my  staff  of  office, 
and  went  with  my  brother  Richard  to  AVotton. 

\{)th  January,  1642.  I  gave  a  visit  to  my  cousin 
Hatton,  of  Ditton.^ 

\^th,  I  went  to  London,  where  I  stayed  till 
5th  March,  studying  a  little,  but  dancing  and  fool- 
ing more. 

3rrZ  October.  To  Chichester,  and  hence  the  next 
day  to  see  the  siege  of  Portsmouth ;  for  now  was 
that    bloody    difference    between    the    King    and 

^  [See  a}ite,  p.  IJ).] 

2  [Upon  which  day  was  planned  the  surprise  of  Dublin  Castle 
and  the  rising  in  Ulster.] 

2  [Albury  Park,  Guildford,  Surrey,  at  this  date  the  seat  of 
the  Howards.  From  the  Howards  it  passed  to  the  Finches,  and 
in  1819  was  bought  by  Mr.  Dnnnmond.  It  now  belongs  to  the 
Duke  of  Northumberland,  to  whose  family  it  came  by  maniage 
with  the  Dnunmonds.] 

■*  [Serjeant  Hatton,  of  Thames-Ditton  (see  post,  under  5th 
October,  1 647).] 


1643  JOHN  EVELYN  61 

Parliament  broken  out,  which  ended  in  the  fatal 
tragedy  so  many  years  after.  It  was  on  the  day  of 
its  being  rendered  to  Sir  William  Waller ;  which 
gave  me  an  opportunity  of  taking  my  leave  of 
Colonel  Goring,  the  governor,  now  embarking  for 
France.^  This  day  was  fought  that  signal  battle  at 
Edgehill.^  Thence  I  went  to  Southampton  and 
Winchester,  where  I  visited  the  castle,  school, 
church,  and  King  Arthur's  Round  Table ;  but 
especially  the  church,  and  its  Saxon  kings'  monu- 
ments, which  I  esteemed  a  worthy  antiquity. 

The  12th  November  was  the  battle  of  Brent- 
ford, surprisingly  fought ;  and  to  the  great  conster- 
nation of  the  City,  had  his  Majesty  (as  it  was 
believed  he  would)  pursued  his  advantage.  I  came 
in  with  my  horse  and  arms  just  at  the  retreat;^  but 
was  not  permitted  to  stay  longer  than  the  15th,  by 
reason  of  the  army  marching  to  Gloucester ;  which 
would  have  left  both  me  and  my  brothers  exposed 
to  ruin,  without  any  advantage  to  his  Majesty. 

Ith  December,  I  went  from  Wotton  to  London,, 
to  see  the  so  much  celebrated  line  of  communica- 
tion, and  on  the  10th  returned  to  Wotton,  nobody 
knowing  of  my  having  been  in  his  Majesty's  army. 

lOth  March,  1643.  I  went  to  Hartingford-berry, 
to  visit  my  cousin,  Keightley.^ 

Wth,  1  went  to  see  my  Lord  of  Salisbury's 
Palace  at  Hatfield,^  where  the  most  considerable 

^  [Portsmouth  was  surrendered  to  tlie  Parliament  by  Colonel 
Goring  (see  antCy  p.  30),  9th  September,  l642.] 

2  [The  battle  of  Edgehill  was  fought  Sunday,  23rd  October, 
1642.] 

2  [Charles  had  taken  Brentford  on  the  12th;  but  being 
faced  next  day  by  Essex  at  Turnham  Green,  he  retreated 
through  Reading  to  Oxford,  which  he  reached  29th  November.] 

*  [See  ante,  p.  5,  n.  5.] 

^  [Hatfield  House,  Herts,  is  still  the  seat  of  Lord  Salisbury ; 
and  the  gardens,  where  Pepys  "  never  saw  ...  so  good  flowers, 
nor  so  great  gooseberries,  as  big  as  nutmegs  "  {Diary,  22nd  July, 
l66l),  retain  their  magnificence.] 


62  THE  DIARY  OF  i643 

rarity,  besides  the  house  (inferior  to  few  then  in 
England  for  its  architecture),  were  the  garden  and 
vineyard,  rarely  well  watered  and  planted.  They 
also  showed  us  the  picture  of  Secretary  Cecil,  in 
mosaic  work,  very  well  done  by  some  Italian 
hand. 

I  must  not  forget  what  amazed  us  exceedingly 
in  the  night  before,  namely,  a  shining  cloud  in  the 
air,  in  shape  resembling  a  sword,  the  point  reaching 
to  the  north  ;  it  was  as  bright  as  the  moon,  the 
rest  of  the  sky  being  very  serene.  It  began  about 
eleven  at  night,  and  vanished  not  till  above  one, 
being  seen  by  all  the  south  of  England.  I  made 
many  journeys  to  and  from  London. 

15fk  Ajml.  To  Hatfield,  and  near  the  town  of 
Hertford  I  went  to  see  Sir  J.  Harrison's  house 
new  built.^  Returning  to  London,  I  called  to  see 
his  Majesty's  house  and  gardens  at  Theobalds,^ 
since  demolished  by  the  rebels. 

27id  3Iay,  I  went  from  Wotton  to  London, 
where  I  saw  the  furious  and  zealous  people  demolish 
that  stately  Cross  in  Cheapside.^ 

On  the  4th  I  returned,  with  no  little  regret,  for 
the  confusion  that  threatened  us.  Resolving  to 
possess  myself  in  some  quiet,  if  it  might  be,  in  a 
time  of  so  great  jealousy,  I  built  by  my  brother's 
permission  a  study,  made  a  fish-pond,  an  island, 
and  some  other  solitudes  and  retirements  at 
Wotton  ;  which  gave  the  first  occasion  of  improv- 
ing them  to  those  waterworks  and  gardens  which 

1  Aftei'wards  called  Ball's  Park,  belonging  to  the  Townshend 
family,  George  the  Second's  Secretary  of  State,  Charles,  tliird 
Viscount,  having  married  Miss  Harrison. 

"^  [Theobalds,  Cheshunt,  Herts,  where  James  I.  died,  27th 
March,  l625.  It  Avas  dismantled  and  the  greater  part  razed  by 
the  Parliamentary  Commissioners.  Theobalds  Square,  Cheshunt, 
now  occupies  the  site.] 

5  ["While  the  thing  was  a-doing,"  says  Howell,  "there  was 
a  noyse  of  trumpets  blew  all  the  while  "  (^Lofidifiojw/is,  l657).] 


1643  JOHN  EVELYN  68 

afterwards  succeeded  them,  and  became  at  that 
time  the  most  famous  of  England. 

\2th  Jubj.  I  sent  my  black  manege  horse  ^  and 
furniture  with  a  friend  to  his  Majesty,  then  at 
Oxford.^ 

Tdrd,  The  Covenant  being  pressed,  I  absented 
myself;  but,  finding  it  impossible  to  evade  the 
doing  very  unhandsome  things,  and  which  had  been 
a  great  cause  of  my  perpetual  motions  hitherto 
between  VVotton  and  London,  October  the  2nd, 
I  obtained  a  license  of  his  Majesty,  dated  at 
Oxford  and  signed  by  the  King,  to  travel  again. ^ 

^th  Noveiiiber,  Lying  by  the  way  from  Wotton 
at  Sir  Ralph  Whitfield's,  at  Bletchingley  (whither 
both  my  brothers  had  conducted  me),  1  arrived  at 
London  on  the  7th,  and  two  days  after  took  boat 
at  the  Tower -wharf,  which  carried  me  as  far  as 
Sittingbourne,  though  not  without  danger,  1  being 
only  in  a  pair  of  oars,  exposed  to  a  hideous  storm ; 
but  it  pleased  God  that  we  got  in  before  the  peril 
was  considerable.  From  thence,  I  went  by  post  to 
Dover,  accompanied  with  one  Mr.  Thicknesse,  a 
very  dear  friend  of  mine.'' 

Wth,  Having  a  reasonable  good  passage,  though 
the  weather  was  snowy  and  untoward  enough,  we 
came  before  Calais,  where,  as  we  went  on  shore, 
mistaking  the  tide,  our  shallop  struck  on  the  sands, 
with  no  little  danger  ;  but  at  length  we  got  off. 

^  [Horse  trained  for  war  in  the  riding  academy.  Evelyn's 
contemporary,  the  Duke  of  Newcastle  (see  post,  under  18th 
April,  1667),  is  said  to  have  taken  particular  pleasure  in  "  Horses 
of  Mannage,"  and  Scott  makes  Edward  Waverley  familiar  with 
"  the  arts  of  the  manege  "  (ch.  vii.).] 

2  [See  ante,  p.  6l,?i.  3.] 

2  [This  seems  to  suggest  that  he  had  obtained  a  previous 
license.  But  that  now  granted  evidently  did  not,  like  the 
license  issued  to  James  Howell  by  the  Lords  of  the  Council  in 
1617,  include  a  prohibition  to  visit  Rome  (see  post,  under  4tli 
November,  1644).] 

^  [See  ante,  p.  14;  and  post,  under  26th  September,  l645.] 


64  THE  DIARY  OF  i643 

Calais  is  considered  an  extraordinary  well- 
fortified  place,  in  the  old  castle  and  new  citadel 
regarding  the  sea.  The  haven  consists  of  a  long 
bank  of  sand,  lying  opposite  to  it.  The  market- 
place and  the  church  are  remarkable  things,  besides 
those  relics  of  our  former  dominion  there.  I  re- 
member there  were  engraven  in  stone,  upon  the 
front  of  an  ancient  dwelling  which  was  showed  us, 
these  words  in  English — God  save  the  King,  to- 
gether with  the  name  of  the  architect  and  date. 
The  walls  of  the  town  are  substantial ;  but  the 
situation  towards  the  land  is  not  pleasant,  by  reason 
of  the  marshes  and  low  grounds  about  it. 

12th  November,  After  dinner,  we  took  horse  with 
the  Messagere,  hoping  to  have  arrived  at  Boulogne 
that  night ;  but  there  fell  so  great  a  snow,  accom- 
panied with  hail,  rain,  and  sudden  darkness,  that 
we  had  much  ado  to  gain  the  next  village ;  and  in 
this  passage,  being  to  cross  a  valley  by  a  causeway, 
and  a  bridge  built  over  a  small  river,  the  rain  that 
had  fallen  making  it  an  impetuous  stream  for  near 
a  quarter  of  a  mile,  my  horse  slipping  had  almost 
been  the  occasion  of  my  perishing.  We  none  of 
us  went  to  bed ;  for  the  soldiers  in  those  parts 
leaving  little  in  the  villages,  we  had  enough  to  do 
to  get  ourselves  dry,  by  morning,  between  the  fire 
and  the  fresh  straw.  The  next  day  early,  we 
arrived  at  Boulogne. 

This  is  a  double  to^vn,  one  part  of  it  situate  on 
a  high  rock,  or  downs ;  the  other,  called  the  lower 
town,  is  yet  with  a  great  declivity  towards  the  sea  ; 
both  of  them  defended  by  a  strong  castle,  which 
stands  on  a  notable  eminence.  Under  the  town 
runs  the  river,  which  is  yet  but  an  inconsiderable 
brook.  Henry  VHI.,  in  the  siege  of  this  place,  is 
said  to  have  used  those  great  leathern  guns  which 
I  have  since  beheld  in  the  Tower  of  London, 
inscribed,    Non    Marte    opus  est    cui    non    deficit 


1648  JOHN  EVELYN  65 

Merciirius ;  if  at  least  the  history  be  true,  which 
my  Lord  Herbert  doubts.^ 

The  next  morning,  in  some  danger  of  parties 
[Spanish]  surprising  us,  we  came  to  Montreuil, 
built  on  the  summit  of  a  most  conspicuous  hill, 
environed  with  fair  and  ample  meadows ;  but  all 
the  suburbs  had  been  from  time  to  time  ruined,  and 
were  now  lately  burnt  by  the  Spanish  inroads.  This 
town  is  fortified  with  two  very  deep  dry  ditches  ; 
the  walls  about  the  bastions  and  citadel  are  a  noble 
piece  of  masonry.  The  church  is  more  glorious 
without  than  within :  the  market-place  large :  but 
the  inhabitants  are  miserably  poor.  The  next  day^ 
we  came  to  Abbeville,  having  passed  all  this  way  in 
continual  expectation  of  the  volunteers,  as  they  call 
them.  This  town  affords  a  good  aspect  towards  the 
hill  from  whence  we  descended  :  nor  does  it  deceive 
us  ;  for  it  is  handsomely  built,  and  has  many  pleasant 
and  useful  streams  passing  through  it,  the  main 
river  being  the  Somme,  which  discharges  itself  inta 
the  sea  at  St.  Valery,  almost  in  view  of  the  town. 
The  principal  church  is  a  very  handsome  piece  of 
Gothic  architecture,  and  the  ports  and  ramparts 
sweetly  planted  for  defence  and  ornament.  In  the 
morning,  they  brought  us  choice  of  guns  and  pistols 
to  sell  at  reasonable  rates,  and  neatly  made,  being 
here  a  merchandise  of  great  account,  the  town 
abounding  in  gun-smiths. 

Hence  we  advanced  to  Beauvais,  another  town 
of  good  note,  and  having  the  first  vineyards  we 
had  seen.  The  next  day  to  Beaumont,  and  the 
morrow  to  Paris,  having  taken  our  repast  at  St. 

^  [Life  and  Raigne  of  King  Henry  the  Eighth,  l649,  p.  51 6.  But 
Lord  Herbert  speaks  of  "Canon  of  Wood  coloured  like  brasse." 
Leathern  guns,  invented  by  Colonel  Robert  Scot  (rf.  l631),  were, 
however,  used  by  Gustavus  Adolphus  at  the  battle  of  Leipzig ; 
and  a  leathern  cannon  is  said  to  have  been  proved  in  the  King's 
Park,  Edinburgh,  as  late  as  October,  1778.] 

VOL.  I  F 


66  THE  DIARY  OF  i643 

Denis,  two  leagues  from  that  great  city.  St.  Denis 
is  considerable  only  for  its  stately  cathedral,  and  the 
dormitory  of  the  French  kings,  there  inhumed  as 
ours  at  Westminster  Abbey.  The  treasury  is 
esteemed  one  of  the  richest  in  Europe.  The  church 
was  built  by  king  Dagobert,^  but  since  much 
enlarged,  being  now  390  feet  long,  100  in  breadth, 
and  80  in  height,  without  comprehending  the  cover  : 
it  has  also  a  very  high  shaft  of  stone,  and  the  gates 
are  of  brass.  Here,  whilst  the  monks  conducted  us, 
we  were  showed  the  ancient  and  modern  sepulchres 
of  their  kings,  beginning  with  the  founder  to  Louis 
his  son,  with  Charles  Martel  and  Pepin,  son  and 
father  of  Charlemagne.  These  lie  in  the  choir, 
and  without  it  are  many  more  :  amongst  the  rest 
that  of  Bertrand  du  Guesclin,  Constable  of  France ; 
in  the  chapel  of  Charles  V.,  all  his  posterity  ;  and 
near  him  the  magnificent  sepulchre  of  Francis  I., 
with  his  children,  wars,  victories,  and  triumphs 
engraven  in  marble.  In  the  nave  of  the  church 
lies  the  catafalque,  or  hearse,  of  Louis  XIII.,  Henry 
II.,  a  noble  tomb  of  Francis  II.,  and  Charles  IX. 
Above  are  bodies  of  several  Saints  ;  below,  under  a 
state  of  black  velvet,  the  late  Louis  XIII.,  father 
of  this  present  monarch.  Every  one  of  the  ten 
chapels,  or  oratories,  had  some  Saints  in  them ; 
amongst  the  rest,  one  of  the  Holy  Innocents.  The 
treasury  is  kept  in  the  sacristy  above,  in  which  are 
crosses  of  massy  gold  and  silver,  studded  with  precious 
stones,  one  of  gold  three  feet  high,  set  with  sapphires, 
rubies,  and  great  oriental  pearls.  Another  given 
by  Charles  the  Great,  having  a  noble  amethyst  in 
the  middle  of  it,  stones  and  pearls  of  inestimable 
value.  Amongst  the  still  more  valuable  relics  are, 
a  nail  from  our  Saviour's  Cross,  in  a  box  of  gold 
full  of  precious  stones ;  a  crucifix  of  the  true  wood 
of  the  Cross,  carved  by  Pope  Clement  III.,  enchased 

1  [a.d.  630.] 


1643  JOHN  EVELYN  67 

in  a  crystal  covered  with  gold  ;  a  box  in  which  is 
some  of  the  Virgin's  hair  ;  some  of  the  Hnen  in  which 
our  blessed  Saviour  was  wrapped  at  his  nativity ; 
in  a  huge  reliquary,  modelled  like  a  church,  some 
of  our  Saviour's  blood,  hair,  clothes,  linen  with  which 
he   wiped  the   Apostles'  feet ;    with   many   other 
equally  authentic  toys,  which  the  friar  who  con- 
ducted  us  would  have  us  believe  were  authentic 
relics.      Amongst   the   treasures   is   the   crown   of 
Charlemagne,  his  seven-foot  high  sceptre  and  hand 
of  justice,  the  agrafe  of  his  royal  mantle,  beset  with 
diamonds  and  rubies,  his  sword,  belt,  and  spurs  of 
gold  ;  the  crown  of  St.  Louis,  covered  with  precious 
stones,  amongst  which  is  one  vast  ruby,  uncut,  of 
inestimable  value,  weighing  300  carats  (under  which 
is  set  one  of  the  thorns  of  our  blessed  Saviour's 
crown),  his  sword,  seal,  and  hand  of  justice.     The 
two  crowns  of  Henry  IV.,  his   sceptre,   hand  of 
justice,   and    spurs.     The   two    crowns  of  his  son 
Louis.     In  the  cloak-royal  of  Anne  of  Bretagne  is 
a  very  great  and  rare  ruby.     Divers  books  covered 
with  solid  plates  of  gold,  and  studded  with  precious 
stones.     Two  vases  of  beryl,  two  of  agate,  whereof 
one  is  esteemed  for  its  bigness,  colour,  and  embossed 
carving,  the  best   now  to   be  seen  :    by  a  special 
favour  I  was  permitted  to  take  the  measure  and 
dimensions  of  it :   the  story  is  a  Bacchanalia  and 
sacrifice  to  Priapus  ;  a  very  holy  thing  truly,  and  fit 
for  a  cloister  !     It  is  really  antique,  and  the  noblest 
jewel   there.^      There  is  also   a   large  gondola   of 
chrysolite,    a   huge   urn    of  porphyry,    another   of 
€alcedon,  a  vase  of  onyx,  the  largest  I  had  ever  seen 

1  [Gray  and  Walpole  also  inspected  this  in  their  Grand  Tour. 
"^  The  glory  of  their  collection  was  a  vase  of  an  entire  onyx, 
measuring  at  least  five  inches  over,  three  deep,  and  of  great 
thickness.  It  is  at  least  two  thousand  years  old,  the  beauty  of 
the  stone  and  sculpture  upon  it  (representing  the  mysteries  of 
Bacchus)  beyond  expression  admirable ;  we  have  dreamed  of  it  ever 
since."    (Gray  to  West,  Gosse's  Gray's  Works,  1884,  i.  20.).] 


68  THE  DIARY  OF  i643 

of  that  stone ;  two  of  crystal ;  a  morsel  of  one  of 
the  waterpots  in  which  our  Saviour  did  his  first 
miracle;  the  effigies  of  the  queen  of  Saba/  of 
Julius,  Augustus,  Mark  Antony,  Cleopatra,  and 
others,  upon  sapphires,  topazes,  agates,  and  cor- 
nelians :  that  of  the  queen  of  Saba  has  a  Moorish 
face  ;  those  of  Julius  and  Nero  on  agates  are  rarely 
coloured  and  cut.  A  cup  in  which  Solomon  was 
used  to  drink,  and  an  Apollo  on  a  great  amethyst. 
There  lay  in  a  window  a  mirror  of  a  kind  of  stone 
said  to  have  belonged  to  the  poet  Virgil.  Charle- 
magne's chessmen,  full  of  Arabic  characters.  In 
the  press  next  the  door,  the  brass  lantern  full  of 
crystals,  said  to  have  conducted  Judas  and  his 
company  to  apprehend  our  blessed  Saviour.  A  fair 
unicorn's  horn,  sent  by  a  king  of  Persia,  about  seven 
feet  long.  In  another  press  (over  which  stands  the 
picture  in  oil  of  their  Orleans  Amazon  with  her 
sword),  the  effigies  of  the  late  French  kings  in  wax, 
like  ours  in  Westminster,  covered  with  their  robes  ; 
with  a  world  of  other  rarities.  Having  rewarded 
our  courteous  friar,  we  took  horse  for  Paris,  where 
we  arrived  about  five  in  the  afternoon.  In  the  way 
were  fair  crosses  of  stone  carved  with  fleur-de-lis  at 
every  furlong's  end,  where  they  affirm  St.  Denis 
rested  and  laid  down  his  head  after  martyrdom, 
carrying  it  from  the  place  where  this  monastery  is 
builded.  We  lay  at  Paris  at  the  Ville  de  Venise  ; 
where,  after  I  had  something  refreshed,  I  went  to 
visit  Sir  Richard  Browne,  his  Majesty's  Resident 
with  the  French  king.^ 

1  OrSheba. 

2  [Sir  Richard  Browne,  1 605-83,  of  Sayes  Courts  Deptford. 
After  being  educated  at  Merton  College,  Oxford,  and  travelling 
on  the  Continent,  he  was  sworn  Clerk  of  the  Council  to  Charles  I.,. 
l641.  Having  then  filled  some  minor  diplomatic  posts,  he  was 
appointed  English  Resident  at  the  Court  of  France,  succeed- 
ing the  Earl  of  Leicester.  He  held  this  office  until  the  Restora- 
tion. He  was  made  a  baronet  in  1649-  (See  post,  under  12th 
February,  1683.).] 


C^^^^^izr^EIP^ 


Smtry  ^ZlAUAm^  g>A .  *c 


1643  JOHN  EVELYN  69 

5tk  Decembe7\  The  Earl  of  Norwich  ^  came  as 
Ambassador  Extraordinary  :  I  went  to  meet  him  in 
a  coach  and  six  horses,  at  the  palace  of  Monsieur 
de  Bassompierre,^  where  I  saw  that  gallant  person, 
his  gardens,  terraces,  and  rare  prospects.  My  lord 
was  waited  on  by  the  master  of  the  ceremonies, 
and  a  very  great  cavalcade  of  men  of  quality,  to 
the  Palais  Cardinal,^  where  on  the  23rd  he  had 
audience  of  the  French  king,  and  the  Queen  Regent 
his  mother,  in  the  golden  chamber  of  presence. 
From  thence,  I  conducted  him  to  his  lodgings  in 
Rue  St.  Denis,  and  so  took  my  leave. 

2Mh,  I  went  with  some  company  to  see  some 
remarkable  places  without  the  city :  as  the  Isle,  and 
how  it  is  encompassed  by  the  rivers  Seine  and  the 
Oise.  The  city  is  divided  into  three  parts,  whereof 
the  town  is  greatest.  The  city  lies  between  it  and 
the  University  in  form  of  an  island.  Over  the 
Seine  is  a  stately  bridge  called  Pont  Neuf,  begun 
by  Henry  III.  in  1578,  finished  by  Henry  IV.  his 
successor.  It  is  all  of  hewn  freestone  found  under 
the  streets,  but  more  plentifully  at  Montmartre, 
and  consists  of  twelve  arches,  in  the  midst  of  which 
ends  the  point  of  an  island,  on  which  are  built 
handsome  artificers'  houses.  There  is  one  large 
passage  for  coaches,  and  two  for  foot-passengers 
three  or  four  feet  higher,  and  of  convenient  breadth 
for  eight  or  ten  to  go  a-breast.  On  the  middle  of 
this  stately  bridge,  on  one  side  stands  the  famous 

1  [George  Lord  Goring  (see  ante^  p.  30,  n.  1),  who  had  been 
recently  sent  to  negotiate  an  alliance,  and  obtained  from  Mazarin 
promises  of  aid  both  in  arms  and  money.  Charles,  to  reward 
him,  made  him  Earl  of  Norwich,  28th  November,  l644.] 

-  [The  famous  marshal,  Fran9ois,  Baron  de  Bassompierre, 
1579-1646.  Having  been  confined  for  twelve  years  in  the 
Bastille  by  Richelieu,  he  had  been  released  by  Mazarin,  and 
reinstated  in  his  position  of  Colonel-General  des  Suisses.] 

3  [Where  the  King  lived  during  the  building  of  the  Louvre 
(see  post,  under  6th  April,  l644).] 


70  THE  DIARY  OF  leis 

statue  of  Henry  the  Great  on  horseback,  exceeding 
the  natural  proportion  by  much ;  and,  on  the  four 
faces  of  a  stately  pedestal  (which  is  composed  of 
various  sorts  of  polished  marbles  and  rich  mouldings), 
inscriptions  of  his  victories  and  most  signal  actions 
are  engraven  in  brass.  The  statue  and  horse  are  of 
copper,  the  work  of  the  great  John  di  Bologna,  and 
sent  from  Florence  by  Ferdinand  the  First,  and 
Cosmo  the  Second,  uncle  and  cousin  to  Marie  de 
Medicis,  the  wife  of  King  Henry,  whose  statue  it 
represents.^  The  place  where  it  is  erected  is  in- 
closed with  a  strong  and  beautiful  grate  of  iron, 
about  which  there  are  always  mountebanks  showing 
their  feats  to  idle  passengers.  From  hence  is  a  rare 
prospect  towards  the  Louvre  and  suburbs  of  St. 
Germain,  the  Isle  du  Palais,  and  Notre  Dame. 
At  the  foot  of  this  bridge  is  a  water-house,  on  the 
front  whereof,  at  a  great  height,  is  the  story  of  our 
Saviour  and  the  woman  of  Samaria  pouring  water 
out  of  a  bucket.^  Above,  is  a  very  rare  dial  of 
several  motions,  with  a  chime,  etc.  The  water  is 
conveyed  by  huge  wheels,  pumps,  and  other  engines, 
from  the  river  beneath.  The  confluence  of  the 
people  and  multitude  of  coaches  passing  every 
moment  over  the  bridge,  to  a  new  spectator  is  an 
agreeable  diversion.  Other  bridges  there  are,  as 
that  of  Notre  Dame  and  the  Pont-au-Change,  etc., 
fairly  built,  with  houses  of  stone,  which  are  laid 
over  this  river  ;  only  the  Pont  St.  Anne,  landing 
the  suburbs  of  St.  Germain  at  the  Tuileries,  is  built 
of  wood,  having  likewise  a  water-house  in  the  midst 

1  [John  of  Bologna's  statue  was  melted  down  in  1792  to 
make  cannon.  Another  statue,  by  Fran9ois- Frederic  Lemot, 
erected  in  1818,  has  now  taken  its  place,  and  repeats  the  old 
inscriptions.] 

'■^  ["  La  Samaritaine  " — familiar  to  readers  of  Le.v  Trois  Mousqiie- 
taircs, — reconstructed  in  1715,  perished  in  1792.  There  is  a 
model  of  the  old  pump,  etc.,  in  the  Musee  Carnavalet,  Rue 
Sevigne.] 


A  View  of  the  City  of  Paris 


1643  JOHN  EVELYN  71 

of  it,  and  a  statue  of  Neptune  casting  water  out  of 
a  whale's  mouth,  of  lead,  but  much  inferior  to  the 
Samaritan. 

The  University  lies  south-west  on  higher  ground, 
contiguous  to,  but  the  lesser  part  of,  Paris.  They 
reckon  no  less  than  sixty-five  colleges ;  ^  but  they 
in  nothing  approach  ours  at  Oxford  for  state  and 
order.  The  booksellers  dwell  within  the  University. 
The  schools  (of  which  more  hereafter)  are  very 
regular. 

The  suburbs  are  those  of  St.  Denis,  Honore,  St. 
Marcel,  St.  Jacques,  St.  Michael,  St.  Victoire,  and 
St.  Germain,  which  last  is  the  largest,  and  where 
the  nobility  and  persons  of  best  quality  are  seated  : 
and  truly  Paris,  comprehending  the  suburbs,  is,  for 
the  material  the  houses  are  built  with,  and  many 
noble  and  magnificent  piles,  one  of  the  most  gallant 
cities  in  the  world ;  large  in  circuit,  of  a  round 
form,  very  populous,  but  situated  in  a  bottom, 
environed  with  gentle  declivities,  rendering  some 
places  very  dirty,  and  making  it  smell  as  if  sulphur 
were  mingled  with  the  mud  ;  ^  yet  it  is  paved  with 

1  ["  Fifty-five," — says  Sir  John  Reresby  in  1654, — "  but  few  of 
them  endowed  except  one  called  la  Sorbonne ;  and  that  of  late 
by  Cardinal  Richelieu  [see  post,  under  4th  January,  1644],  so 
that  they  are  only  places  of  publick  lecture,  the  scholars  having 
both  their  lodging  and  other  accommodation  in  the  town" 
{Travels,  1831,  p.  8). 

Sir  John  Reresby  of  Thrybergh,  Bart.,  1634-89,  is  not  men- 
tioned by  Evelyn,  although  he  was  his  contemporary.  He 
travelled  on  the  Continent  between  l654  and  l658.  His 
Travels  were  published  with  his  Memoirs  in  1831  ;  but  a  more 
exact  edition  of  the  latter,  based  upon  the  original  MS.  in  the 
British  Museum,  and  edited  by  James  J.  Cartwright,  M.A., 
appeared  in  1875.] 

■^  [I^s  Odeurs  de  Paris  seem  to  have  engaged  attention  long 
before  M.  Louis  Veuillot.  Coryat^  in  l608,  declares  many  of  the 
Paris  streets  to  be  "  the  durtiest,  and  so  consequently  the  most 
stinking  of  all  that  ever  I  saw  in  any  citie  in  my  life  "  ;  and 
Peter  Heylyn,  writing  earlier  than  Evelyn,  says,  "This  I  am 
confident  of,   that  the  nastiest  lane  in  London  is  frankincense 


72  THE  DIARY  OF  i643 

a  kind  of  freestone,  of  near  a  foot  square,  which 
renders  it  more  easy  to  walk  on  than  our  pebbles 
in  London. 

On  Christmas  eve,  I  went  to  see  the  Cathedral 
at  Notre  Dame,  erected  by  Philip  Augustus,  but 
begun  by  King  Robert,  son  of  Hugh  Capet.  It 
consists  of  a  Gothic  fabric,  sustained  with  120 
pillars,  which  make  two  aisles  in  the  church  round 
about  the  choir,  without  comprehending  the 
chapels,  being  174  paces  long,  60  wide,  and  100 
high.  The  choir  is  enclosed  with  stone-work 
graven  with  the  sacred  history,  and  contains  forty- 
five  chapels  chancelled  with  iron.  At  the  front  of 
the  chief  entrance  are  statues  in  rilievo  of  the 
kings,  twenty-eight  in  number,  from  Childebert  to 
the  founder,  Philip ;  and  above  them  are  two  high 
square  towers,  and  another  of  a  smaller  size,  bearing 
a  spire  in  the  middle,  where  the  body  of  the  church 
forms  a  cross.  The  great  tower  is  ascended  by  389 
steps,  having  twelve  galleries  from  one  to  the  other. 
They  greatly  reverence  the  crucifix  over  the  screen 
of  the  choir,  with  an  image  of  the  Blessed  Virgin. 
There  are  some  good  modern  paintings  hanging  on 
the  pillars.  The  most  conspicuous  statue  is  the 
huge  colossal  one  of  St.  Christopher ;  with  divers 
other  figures  of  men,  houses,  prospects,  and  rocks, 
about  this  gigantic  piece ;  being  of  one  stone,  and 
more  remarkable  for  its  bulk  than  any  other  per- 
fection. This  is  the  prime  church  of  France  for 
dignity,  having  archdeacons,  vicars,  canons,  priests, 

and  juniper  to  the  sweetest  street  in  this  city."  Howell,  in  a 
letter  to  Captain  Francis  Bacon  from  Paris  in  1620,  is  also 
eloquent  on  the  same  theme :  "  This  Town  (for  Paris  is  a  Town, 
a  City,  and  an  University)  is  always  dirty,  and  'tis  such  a  Dirt, 
that  by  perpetual  Motion  is  beaten  into  such  black  unctuous 
Oil,  that  where  it  sticks  no  Art  can  wash  it  off  some  Coloui*s  ; 
insomuch,  that  it  may  be  no  improper  Comparison  to  say,  That 
an  ill  Name  is  like  the  Crot\te\  (the  Diri)  of  Paris,  which  is 
indelible"  (Howell's  Familiar  Letters,  Jacobs's  ed.  1892,  i.  43).] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  73 

and  chaplains  in  good  store,  to  the  number  of  127. 
It  is  also  the  palace  of  the  archbishop.  The  young 
king  was  there  with  a  great  and  martial  guard,  who 
entered  the  nave  of  the  church  with  drums  and 
fifes,  at  the  ceasing  of  which  I  was  entertained  with 
the  church-music ;  and  so  I  left  him. 

Mh  January,  1644.  I  passed  this  day  with  one 
Mr.  J.  Wall,  an  Irish  gentleman,  who  had  been  a 
friar  in  Spain,  and  afterwards  a  reader  in  St.  Isidoro's 
chair,  at  Rome  ;  but  was,  I  know  not  how,  getting 
away,  and  pretending  to  be  a  soldier  of  fortune,  an 
absolute  cavalier,  having,  as  he  told  us,  been  a 
captain  of  horse  in  Germany.  It  is  certain  he  was 
an  excellent  disputant,  and  so  strangely  given  to  it 
that  nothing  could  pass  him.  He  would  needs 
persuade  me  to  go  with  him  this  morning  to  the 
Jesuits'  College,  to  witness  his  polemical  talent. 
We  found  the  Fathers  in  their  Church  at  the  Rue 
St.  Antoine,  where  one  of  them  showed  us  that 
noble  fabric,  which  for  its  cupola,  pavings,  incrusta- 
tions of  marble,  the  pulpit,  altars  (especially  the  high 
altar),  organ,  lavatorium,  etc.,  but  above  all,  for  the 
richly  carved  and  incomparable  front  I  esteem  to 
be  one  of  the  most  perfect  pieces  of  architecture  in 
Europe,  emulating  even  some  of  the  greatest  now 
at  Rome  itself.  But  this  not  being  what  our  friar 
sought,  he  led  us  into  the  adjoining  convent,  where, 
having  showed  us  the  library,  they  began  a  very  hot 
dispute  on  some  points  of  divinity,  which  our 
cavalier  contested  only  to  show  his  pride,  and  to 
that  indiscreet  height,  that  the  Jesuits  would  hardly 
bring  us  to  our  coach,  they  being  put  beside  all 
patience.  The  next  day,  we  went  into  the  Uni- 
versity, and  into  the  College  of  Navarre,  which  is 
a  spacious  well-built  quadrangle,  having  a  very 
noble  library. 

Thence  to  the  Sorbonne,  an  ancient  fabric  built 
by  one  Robert  de  Sorbonne,  whose  name  it  retains. 


74  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

but  the  restoration  which  the  late  Cardinal  de 
Richelieu  ^  has  made  to  it  renders  it  one  of  the 
most  excellent  modern  buildings ;  the  sumptuous 
church,  of  admirable  architecture,  is  far  superior  to 
the  rest.  The  cupola,  portico,  and  whole  design  of 
the  church,  are  very  magnificent. 

We  entered  into  some  of  the  schools,  and  in  that 
of  divinity  we  found  a  grave  Doctor  in  his  chair, 
with  a  multitude  of  auditors,  who  all  write  as  he 
dictates ;  and  this  they  call  a  Coui^se,  After  we 
had  sat  a  little,  our  cavalier  started  up,  and  rudely 
enough  began  to  dispute  with  the  doctor  ;  at  which, 
and  especially  as  he  was  clad  in  the  Spanish  habit, 
which  in  Paris  is  the  greatest  bugbear  imaginable,^ 
the  scholars  and  doctor  fell  into  such  a  fit  of 
laughter,  that  nobody  could  be  heard  speak  for  a 
while :  but  silence  being  obtained,  he  began  to 
speak  Latin,  and  made  his  apology  in  so  good  a 
style,  that  their  derision  was  turned  to  admiration  ; 
and  beginning  to  argue,  he  so  baffled  the  Professor, 
that  with  universal  applause  they  all  rose  up,  and  did 
him  great  honours,  waiting  on  us  to  the  very  street 
and  our  coach,  and  testifying  great  satisfaction. 

2nd  February,  I  heard  the  news  of  my  nephew 
George's  birth,  which  was  on  January  15th,  English 
style,  1644.3 

Zrd,  I  went  to  the  Exchange.  The  late  addition 
to  the  buildings  is  very  noble ;  but  the  galleries 
where  they  sell  their  petty  merchandise  nothing  so 

^  [Armand-Jean  du  Plessis^  Cardinal-Due  de  Richelieu,  died 
4th  December,  l642.  He  rebuilt  the  College  in  l629  ;  the  Church 
in  1635.  The  Church  was  finished  in  1659-  There  is  a  splendid 
triple  portrait  of  Richelieu  by  Philippe  de  Champaigne  in  the 
National  Gallery.  It  was  made  to  assist  the  Roman  sculptor 
Mocchi  in  framing  a  bust.] 

-  [Cf.  Howell's  Iiutriictions  for  Forreine  Travel!,  l6'42,  Section 
V. : — "  A  Spaniard  lookes  like  a  bug-beare  in  France  in  his  own 
cut."] 

^  [George  Evelyn,  eldest  son  of  George  Evelyn  of  VVotton. 
He  died  in  1676.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  75 

stately  as  ours  at  London,  no  more  than  the  place 
where  they  walk  below,  being  only  a  low  vault. 

The  Palais,^  as  they  call  the  upper  part,  was 
built  in  the  time  of  Philip  the  Fair,  noble  and 
spacious.  The  great  Hall  annexed  to  it,  is  arched 
with  stone,  having  a  range  of  pillars  in  the  middle, 
round  which,  and  at  tlie  sides,  are  shops  of  all 
kinds,  especially  booksellers'.  One  side  is  full  of 
pews  for  the  clerks  of  the  advocates,  who  swarm 
here  (as  ours  at  Westminster).  At  one  of  the 
ends  stands  an  altar,  at  which  mass  is  said  daily. 
Within  are  several  chambers,  courts,  treasuries,  etc. 
Above  that  is  the  most  rich  and  glorious  Salle 
d'Audience,  the  chamber  of  St.  Louis,  and  other 
superior  Courts  where  the  Parliament  sits,  richly 
gilt  on  embossed  carvings  and  frets,  and  exceeding 
beautified. 

Within  the  place  where  they  sell  their  wares, 
is  another  narrower  gallery,  full  of  shops  and 
toys,  etc.,  which  looks  down  into  the  prison-yard. 
Descending  by  a  large  pair  of  stairs,  we  passed  by 
Sainte  Chapelle,  which  is  a  church  built  by  St. 
Louis,  1242,  after  the  Gothic  manner :  it  stands 
on  another  church,  which  is  under  it,  sustained  by 
]Hllars  at  the  sides,  which  seem  so  weak  as  to  appear 
extraordinary  in  the  artist.  This  chapel  is  most 
fiimous  for  its  relics,  having,  as  they  pretend,  almost 
the  entire  crown  of  thorns  :  the  agate  patine,  rarely 
sculptured,  judged  one  of  the  largest  and  best  in 
Europe.  There  was  now  a  very  beautiful  spire 
erecting.     The  court  below  is  very  spacious,  capable 

1  ["  I  must  not  pass  by  the  great  paUais,  or  palace,  a  great  pile 
of  irregular  building,  and  of  great  antiquity,  some  part  of  it 
below  stairs  em})loyed  as  shops  and  warehouses ;  part  of  it  above 
is  not  unlike  our  new  and  old  exchanges,  where  such -like 
merchandises  are  exposed  to  sale.  The  rest  of  it  is  divided  into 
many  large  chambers  and  apartments,  where  the  several  courts 
of  parliament  have  their  session  "  (Reresby  in  16.54,  Travels, 
1831,  p.  ()).] 


76  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

of  holding  many  coaches,  and  surrounded  with 
shops,  especially  engravers',  goldsmiths',  and  watch- 
makers'. In  it  are  a  fair  fountain  and  portico. 
The  Isle  du  Palais  consists  of  a  triangular  brick 
building,  whereof  one  side,  looking  to  the  river,  is 
inhabited  by  goldsmiths.  Within  the  court  are 
private  dwellings.  The  front,  looking  on  the  great 
bridge,  is  possessed  by  mountebanks,  operators,  and 
puppet-players.  On  the  other  part,  is  the  every 
day's  market  for  all  sorts  of  provisions,  especially 
bread,  herbs,  flowers,  orange  trees,  choice  shrubs. 
Here  is  a  shop  called  NoaJis  Ark\  where  are  sold  all 
curiosities,  natural  or  artificial,  Indian  or  European, 
for  luxury  or  use,  as  cabinets,  shells,  ivory,  porcelain, 
dried  fishes,  insects,  birds,  pictures,  and  a  thousand 
exotic  extravagances.  Passing  hence,  we  viewed 
the  port  Dauphine,  an  arch  of  excellent  workman- 
ship ;  the  street,  bearing  the  same  name,  is  ample 
and  straight. 

^th  February,  I  went  to  see  the  JNIarais  de 
Temple,  where  are  a  noble  church  and  palace, 
heretofore  dedicated  to  the  Knights  Templars,  now 
converted  to  a  piazza,  not  much  unlike  ours  at 
Covent  Garden  ;  but  large,  and  not  so  pleasant, 
though  built  all  about  with  divers  considerable 
palaces. 

The  Church  of  St.  Genevieve  is  a  place  of  great 
devotion,  dedicated  to  another  of  their  Amazons, 
said  to  have  dehvered  the  city  from  the  English  ; 
for  which  she  is  esteemed  the  tutelary  saint  of 
Paris.  It  stands  on  a  steep  eminence,  having  a 
very  high  spire,  and  is  governed  by  canons  regular. 
At  the  Palais  Royal  Henry  IV.  built  a  fair 
quadrangle  of  stately  palaces,  arched  underneath. 
In  the  middle  of  a  spacious  area,  stands  on  a  noble 
pedestal  a  brazen  statue  of  Louis  XI 11.,^  which, 

1  [The  bronze  of  Louis  XIII.,  erected  by  Richelieu  in  l639,  was 
destroyed  in  1792.     An  equestrian  statue  by  Dupaty  and  Cortot 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  77 

though  made  in  imitation  of  that  in  the  Roman 
capitol,  is  nothing  so  much  esteemed  as  that  on  the 
Pont  Neuf. 

The  hospital  of  the  Quinze-Vingts,^  in  the  Rue 
St.  Honore,  is  an  excellent  foundation ;  but  above 
all  is  the  Hotel  Dieu  for  men  and  women,^  near 
Notre  Dame,  a  princely,  pious,  and  expensive 
structure.  That  of  the  Charite^  gave  me  great 
satisfaction,  in  seeing  how  decently  and  christianly 
the  sick  people  are  attended,  even  to  delicacy.  I 
have  seen  them  served  by  noble  persons,  men  and 
women.  They  have  also  gardens,  walks,  and 
fountains.  Divers  persons  are  here  cut  for  the 
stone,  with  great  success,  yearly  in  May.  The 
two  Chatelets  (supposed  to  have  been  built  by 
Julius  Caesar)  are  places  of  judicature  in  criminal 
causes ;  to  which  is  a  strong  prison.^  The  courts 
are  spacious  and  magnificent. 

%th  February.  I  took  coach  and  went  to  see 
the  famous  Jardin  Royal,  which  is  an  enclosure 
walled  in,  consisting  of  all  varieties  of  ground 
for  planting  and  culture  of  medical  simples.  It  is 
well  chosen,  having  in  it  hills,  meadows,  wood  and 
upland,  natural  and  artificial,  and  is  richly  stored 
with  exotic  plants.  In  the  middle  of  the  parterre 
is  a  fair  fountain.  There  is  a  very  fine  house, 
chapel,  laboratory,  orangery,  and  other  accom- 
modations for  the  President,  who  is  always  one 
of  the  King's  chief  physicians. 

has  now   taken  its  place,  and  the   Place   Royale    (not  "  Palais 
Royal ")  is  now  called  the  Place  des  Vosges.] 

1  [The  Hospice  des  Quinne-  Vingts,  founded  by  St.  Louis  in 
1260,  now  occupies  the  old  Hotel  des  Mousquetaires  Noirs,  to 
which  it  was  removed  from  the  Rue  St.  Honore  by  the  Cardinal 
de  Rohan.] 

2  [The  Hotel-Dieu  was  re-erected  in  1868-78,  on  a  different 
site,  but  still  in  the  vicinity  of  Notre  Dame.] 

^  [The  Hojntal  de  la  Charite,  in  the  Rue  des  Saints  Peres, 
is — or  is  shortly  to  be — pulled  down.] 

^  [The  Grand  and  Petit  Chatelets  are  now  non-existent.] 


78  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

From  hence,  we  went  to  the  other  side  of  the 
town,  and  to  some  distance  from  it,  to  the  Bois  de 
Vincennes,  going  by  the  Bastille,^  which  is  the 
fortress,  tower,  and  magazine  of  this  great  city. 
It  is  very  spacious  within,  and  there  the  Grand 
Master  of  the  artillery  has  his  house,  with  fair 
gardens  and  walks. 

The  Bois  de  Vincennes  has  in  it  a  square  and 
noble  castle,^  with  magnificent  apartments,  fit  for  a 
royal  court,  not  forgetting  the  chapel.  It  is  the 
chief  prison  for  persons  of  quality.  About  it  there 
is  a  park  walled  in,  full  of  deer ;  and  in  one  part 
there  is  a  grove  of  goodly  pine  trees. 

The  next  day,  I  went  to  see  the  Louvre  with 
more  attention,  its  several  courts  and  pavilions. 
One  of  the  quadrangles,  begun  by  Henry  IV.,  and 
finished  by  his  son  and  grandson,  is  a  superb,  but 
mixed  structure.  The  cornices,  mouldings,  and 
compartments,  with  the  insertion  of  several  coloured 
marbles,  have  been  of  great  expense. 

We  went  through  the  long  gallery,  paved  with 
white  and  black  marble,  richly  fretted  and  painted 
a  fresco.  The  front  looking  to  the  river,  though 
of  rare  work  for  the  carving,  yet  wants  of  that 
magnificence  which  a  plainer  and  truer  design 
would  have  contributed  to  it. 

In  the  Cour  aux  Tuileries  is  a  princely  fabric  ; 
the  winding  geometrical  stone  stairs,  with  the 
cupola,  I  take  to  be  as  bold  and  noble  a  piece  of 
architecture  as  any  in  Europe  of  the  kind.  To 
this  is  a  co?ys  de  logis,  worthy  of  so  great  a  prince. 
Under  these  buildings,  through  a  garden  in  which 
is  an  ample  fountain,  was  the  king's  printing-house, 

1  [Destroyed  by  the  populace,  14th  July,  1789,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Revolution.  The  Coloime  de  Juillet  in  the  Place  de 
la  Bastille  now  marks  its  site.] 

2  [It  was  used  as  a  royal  residence  until  1740,  and  is  now 
<;losed  to  the  public.     The  Bois  was  laid  out  1860-67.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  79 

and  that  famous  letter  so  much  esteemed.  Here  I 
bought  divers  of  the  classic  authors,  poets,  and  others. 

We  returned  through  another  gallery,  larger 
but  not  so  long,  where  hung  the  pictures  of  all  the 
kings  and  queens  and  prime  nobility  of  France. 

Descending  hence,  we  were  let  into  a  lower 
very  large  room,  called  the  Salle  des  Antiques, 
which  is  a  vaulted  cimelia,  destined  for  statues 
only,  amongst  which  stands  that  so  celebrated 
Diana  of  the  Ephesians,  said  to  be  the  same  which 
uttered  oracles  in  that  renowned  Temple.  Besides 
those  colossean  figures  of  marble,  I  must  not 
forget  the  huge  globe  suspended  by  chains.  The 
pavings,  inlayings,  and  incrustations  of  this  Hall 
are  very  rich. 

In  another  more  private  garden  towards  the 
Queen's  apartment  is  a  walk,  or  cloister,  under 
arches,  whose  terrace  is  paved  with  stones  of  a 
great  breadth ;  it  looks  towards  the  river  and  has 
a  pleasant  aviary,  fountain,  stately  cypresses,  etc. 
On  the  river  are  seen  a  prodigious  number  of 
barges  and  boats  of  great  length,  full  of  hay,  corn, 
wood,  wine,  and  other  commodities,  which  this 
vast  city  daily  consumes.  Under  the  long  gallery 
we  have  described,  dwell  goldsmiths,  painters, 
statuaries,  and  architects,  who  being  the  most 
famous  for  their  art  in  Christendom  have  stipends 
allowed  them  by  the  King.  Into  that  of  Monsieur 
Sarrazin  ^  we  entered,  who  was  then  moulding  for 
an  image  of  a  Madonna  to  be  cast  in  gold  of  a 
great  size,  to  be  sent  by  the  Queen  Regent  to 
Loretto,  as  an  offering  for  the  birth  of  the  Dauphin, 
now  the  young  King. 

1  Jacques  Sarrazin,  1588-1660,  a  celebrated  painter  and 
sculptor,  much  employed  by  the  royal  family  of  France.  For 
Cardinal  RicheHeu  he  executed,  in  silver  and  gold,  Anne  of 
Austria's  offering  to  the  Chapel  of  Loretto,  a  group  representing 
the  dauphin's  presentation  to  the  Virgin  Maiy. 


80  THE  DIARY  OF  im 

I  finished  this  day  with  a  walk,  in  the  great 
garden  of  the  Tuileries,^  rarely  contrived  for  privacy, 
shade,  or  company,  by  groves,  plantations  of  tall 
trees,  especially  that  in  the  middle,  being  of  elms, 
the  other  of  mulberries ;  and  that  labyrinth  of 
cypresses  ;  not  omitting  the  noble  hedges  of  pome- 
granates, fountains,  fish-ponds,  and  an  aviary  ;  but, 
above  all,  the  artificial  echo,  redoubling  the  words 
so  distinctly,  and  as  it  is  never  without  some  fair 
nymph  singing  to  its  grateful  returns  ;  standing  at 
one  of  the  focuses,  which  is  under  a  tree,  or  little 
cabinet  of  hedges,  the  voice  seems  to  descend  from 
the  clouds ;  at  another,  as  if  it  was  underground. 
This  being  at  the  bottom  of  the  garden,  we  were 
let  into  another,  which  being  kept  with  all  imagin- 
able accurateness  as  to  the  orangery,  precious 
shrubs,  and  rare  fruits,  seemed  a  Paradise.  From 
a  terrace  in  this  place  we  saw  so  many  coaches,  as 
one  would  hardly  think  could  be  maintained  in  the 
whole  city,  going,  late  as  it  was  in  the  year,  towards 
the  course,  which  is  a  place  adjoining,  of  near  an 
English  mile  long,  planted  with  four  rows  of  trees, 
making  a  large  circle  in  the  middle.  This  course 
is  walled  about,  near  breast-high,  with  squared 
freestone,  and  has  a  stately  arch  at  the  entrance, 
with  sculpture  and  statues  about  it,  built  by  Marie 
de  Medicis.  Here  it  is  that  the  gallants  and  ladies 
of  the  Court  take  the  air  and  divert  themselves,  as 
with  us  in  Hyde  Park,  the  circle  being  capable  of 
containing  a  hundred  coaches  to  turn  commodiously, 
and  the  larger  of  the  plantations  for  five  or  six 
coaches  a-breast. 

Returning  through  the  Tuileries,  we  saw  a 
building  in  which  are  kept  wild  beasts  for  the 
King's  pleasure,  a  bear,  a  wolf,  a  wild  boar,  a 
leopard,  etc. 

1  [It  still  retains  the  same  general  features  as  when  laid  out 
for  Louis  XIV.  by  Andre  Le  Notre.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  81 

27^A  Februarij,  Accompanied  with  some  English 
gentlemen,  we  took  horse  to  see  St.  Germain-en- 
Laye,  a  stately  country-house  of  the  King,  some 
five  leagues  from  Paris.  By  the  way,  we  alighted 
at  St.  Cloud,  where  on  an  eminence  near  the  river, 
the  Archbishop  of  Paris  has  a  garden,  for  the 
house  is  not  very  considerable,^  rarely  watered  and 
furnished  with  fountains,  statues,  and  groves  ;  the 
walks  are  very  fair ;  the  fountain  of  Laocoon  is  in 
a  large  square  pool,  throwing  the  water  near  forty 
feet  high,  and  having  about  it  a  multitude  of 
statues  and  basins,  and  is  a  surprising  object.  But 
nothing  is  more  esteemed  than  the  cascade  falling 
from  the  great  steps  into  the  lowest  and  longest 
walk  from  the  Mount  Parnassus,  which  consists  of 
a  grotto,  or  shell-house,  on  the  summit  of  the  hill, 
wherein  are  divers  water- works  and  contrivances  to 
wet  the  spectators ;  this  is  covered  with  a  fair 
cupola,  the  walls  painted  with  the  Muses,  and 
statues  placed  thick  about  it,  whereof  some  are 
antique  and  good.  In  the  upper  walks  are  two 
perspectives,  seeming  to  enlarge  the  alleys,  and  in 
this  garden  are  many  other  ingenious  contrivances. 
The  palace,  as  I  said,  is  not  extraordinary.  The 
outer  walls  only  painted  a  freaco.  In  the  court 
is  a  volary,  and  the  statues  of  Charles  IX.,  Henry 
III.,  IV.,  and  Louis  XIII.,  on  horseback,  mezzo- 
rilievo'd  in  plaster.  In  the  garden  is  a  small 
chapel ;  and  under  shelter  is  the  figure  of  Cleo- 
patra, taken  from  the  Belvidere  original,  with 
others.  From  the  terrace  above  is  a  tempest  well 
painted  ;  and  thence  an  excellent  prospect  towards 
Paris,  the  meadows,  and  river. 

At  an  inn  in  this  village  is  a  host  who  treats  all 

^  [In  1608  it  was  purchased,  and  rebuilt  by  Louis  XIV.  from 
the  designs  of  Mansard  and  Lepautre.  The  bombs  of  St. 
Valerien  destroyed  it  in  1870,  and  its  ruins  were  cleared  away 
in  1893.     The  park  was  laid  out  by  Le  Notre.] 

VOL.  I  G 


82  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


the  great  persons  in  princely  lodgings  for  furniture 
and  plate,  but  they  pay  well  for  it,  as  I  have  done. 
Indeed,  the  entertainment  is  very  splendid,  and 
not  unreasonable,  considering  the  excellent  manner 
of  dressing  their  meat,  and  of  the  service.  Here 
are  many  debauches  and  excessive  revellings,  as 
being  out  of  all  noise  and  observance. 

From  hence,  about  a  league  farther,  we  went  to 
see  Cardinal  Richelieu's  villa,  at  Rueil.^  The  house 
is  small,  but  fairly  built,  in  form  of  a  castle,  moated 
round.  The  offices  are  towards  the  road,  and  over 
against  it  are  large  vineyards,  walled  in.  But, 
though  the  house  is  not  of  the  greatest,  the  gardens 
about  it  are  so  magnificent,  that  I  doubt  whether 
Italy  has  any  exceeding  it  for  all  rarities  of 
pleasure.  The  garden  nearest  the  pavilion  is  a 
parterre,  having  in  the  midst  divers  noble  brass 
statues,  perpetually  spouting  water  into  an  ample 
basin,  with  other  figures  of  the  same  metal ;  but 
what  is  most  admirable  is  the  vast  inclosure,  and 
variety  of  ground,  in  the  large  garden,  containing 
vineyards,  corn-fields,  meadows,  groves  (whereof  one 
is  of  perennial  greens),  and  walks  of  vast  length,  so 
accurately  kept  and  cultivated,  that  nothing  can 
be  more  agreeable.  On  one  of  these  walks,  within 
a  square  of  tall  trees,  is  a  basilisk  of  copper,  which, 
managed  by  the  fountaineer,  casts  water  near  sixty 
feet  high,  and  will  of  itself  move  round  so  swiftly, 
that  one  can  hardly  escape  wetting.  This  leads  to 
the  Citroniere,  which  is  a  noble  conserve  of  all  those 
rarities ;  and  at  the  end  of  it  is  the  Arch  of  Con- 


^  [Richelieu's  palace  at  Riieil  no  longer  exists.  Its  beautiful 
grounds  were  cut  up  by  the  heirs  of  the  Duchesse  d'Aiguillon, 
the  niece  to  whom  he  bequeathed  it,  and  who  beautified  it  so 
much  as  to  excite  the  cupidity  of  Louis  XIV.  The  fortress-like 
chateau  was  destroyed  in  the  Revolution.  A  memory  of  the 
gardens  survives  in  the  six  views  of  Gabriel  Perelle  after  Israel 
Silvestre.l 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  83 

stantine,^  painted  on  a  wall  in  oil,  as  large  as  the  real 
one  at  Rome,  so  well  done,  that  even  a  man  skilled 
in  painting  may  mistake  it  for  stone  and  sculpture. 
The  sky  and  hills,  which  seem  to  be  between  the 
arches,  are  so  natural,  that  swallows  and  other  birds, 
thinking  to  fly  through,  have  dashed  themselves 
against  the  wall.  I  was  infinitely  taken  with  this 
agreeable  cheat.  At  the  farther  part  of  this  walk 
is  that  plentiful,  though  artificial  cascade,  which 
rolls  down  a  very  steep  declivity,  and  over  the 
marble  steps  and  basins,  with  an  astonishing  noise 
and  fury ;  each  basin  hath  a  jetto  in  it,  flowing  like 
sheets  of  transparent  glass,  especially  that  which 
rises  over  the  great  shell  of  lead,  from  whence  it 
glides  silently  down  a  channel  through  the  middle 
of  a  spacious  gravel  walk,  terminating  in  a  grotto. 
Here  are  also  fountains  that  cast  water  to  a  great 
height,  and  large  ponds,  two  of  which  have  islands 
for  harbour  of  fowls,  of  which  there  is  store.  One 
of  these  islands  has  a  receptacle  for  them  built  of 
vast  pieces  of  rock,  near  fifty  feet  high,  grown  over 
with  moss,  ivy,  etc.,  shaded  at  a  competent  distance 
with  tall  trees :  in  this  rupellary  nidary  do  the 
fowl  lay  eggs,  and  breed.  We  then  saw  a  large 
and  very  rare  grotto  of  shell-work,  in  the  shape  of 
satyrs,  and  other  wild  fancies  :  in  the  middle  stands 
a  marble  table,  on  which  a  fountain  plays  in  divers 
forms  of  glasses,  cups,  crosses,  fans,  crowns,  etc. 
Then  the  fountaineer  represented  a  shower  of  rain 
from  the  top,  met  by  small  jets  from  below.  At 
going  out,  two  extravagant  musketeers  shot  us 
with  a  stream  of  water  from  their  musket  barrels. 
Before  this  grotto  is  a  long  pool  into  which  ran 
divers  spouts  of  water  from  leaden  scallop  basins. 
The  viewing  this  paradise  made  us  late  at  St. 
Germain. 

The  first  building  of  this  palace  is  of  Charles  V., 

^  [See  post,  under  l^th  November;,  1644.] 


84  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


called  the  Sage  ;  but  Francis  I.  (that  true  virtuoso) 
made  it  complete  ;  speaking  as  to  the  style  of  mag- 
nificence   then    in    fashion,    which   was  with  too 
great  a  mixture  of  the  Gothic,   as  may  be  seen 
in  what  there  is  remaining  of  his  in  the  old  Castle, 
an  irregular  piece  as  built  on  the  old  foundation, 
and    having  a   moat   about  it.     It  has  yet   some 
spacious  and  handsome  rooms  of  state,  and  a  chapel 
neatly  painted.     The    new  Castle  is  at  some  dis- 
tance,  divided  from  this  by  a  court,  of  a  lower, 
but  more  modern  design,  built  by  Henry  IV.^     To 
this  belong  six  terraces,  built  of  brick  and  stone, 
descending  in  cascades  towards  the  river,  cut  out  of 
the  natural  hill,  having  under  them  goodly  vaulted 
galleries ;  of  these,  four  have    subterranean  grots 
and  rocks,  where  are  represented  several  objects  in 
the  manner  of  scenes  and  other  motions,  by  force 
of  water,  shown    by  the    light  of    torches    only ; 
amongst  these,  is  Orpheus  with  his  music  ;  and  the 
animals,  which  dance  after  his  harp ;  in  the  second, 
is  the  King  and  Dauphin ;  in  the  third,  is  Neptune 
sounding  his  trumpet,  his  chariot  drawn  by  sea- 
horses ;  in  the   fourth,    the  story  of  Perseus  and 
Andromeda  ;  mills  ;  hermitages  ;  men  fishing  ;  birds 
chirping  ;  and  many  other  devices.     There  is  also  a 
dry  grot  to  refresh  in  ;  all  having  a  fine  prospect 
towards  the  river,  and  the  goodly  country  about  it, 
especially  the  forest.     At  the  bottom,  is  a  parterre  ; 
the  upper  terrace  near  half  a  mile  in  length,  with 
double  declivities,  arched  and  balustered  with  stone, 
of  vast  and  royal  cost. 

In  the  pavilion  of  the  new  Castle  are  many  fair 
rooms,  well  painted,  and  leading  into  a  very  noble 

1  [This,  with  exception  of  the  Pavilion  Henri  IV.,  was  destroyed 
in  1776.  The  older  building,  w^hich  afterwards  became  the 
retreat  of  James  II.  (see  post,  under  S^th  December,  1688), 
was  used  by  Napoleon  I.  as  a  prison.  Of  late  years  it  has  been 
restored.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  85 

garden  and  park,  where  is  a  pall-mall,  in  the  midst 
of  which,  on  one  of  the  sides,  is  a  chapel,  with  stone 
cupola,  though  small,  yet  of  a  handsome  order  of 
architecture.  Out  of  the  park  you  go  into  the 
forest,  which  being  very  large,  is  stored  with  deer, 
wild  boars,  wolves,  and  other  wild  game.  The 
Tennis  Court,  and  Cavallerizza  for  the  managed 
horses,  are  also  observable. 

We  returned  to  Paris  by  Madrid,^  another  villa 
of  the  King's,  built  by  Francis  I.,  and  called  by  that 
name  to  absolve  him  of  his  oath  that  he  would  not 
go  from  Madrid  (in  which  he  was  prisoner),  in 
Spain,  but  from  whence  he  made  his  escape.  This 
house  is  also  built  in  a  park,  and  walled  in.  We 
next  called  in  at  the  Bons-Hommes,  well  situated, 
with  a  fair  chapel  and  library.^ 

l6'^  March,  I  went  to  see  the  Count  de  Lian- 
court's  Palace  in  the  Rue  de  Seine,  which  is  well 
built.  Towards  his  study  and  bedchamber  joins  a 
little  garden,  which,  though  very  narrow,  by  the 

1  [See  post,  under  25th  April,  l650.  In  Reresby's  Travels, 
1831,  p.  6,  is  the  following  reference  to  this  '^  villa,"  now  no 
longer  in  existence : — "  Near  unto  it  [Saint  Germain]  stands 
another,  built  by  Francis  the  First,  called  Madrid,  to  evade  his 
engagement  to  Charles,  the  fifth  emperor,  who  had  taken  him 
prisoner,  and  after  giving  him  liberty,  upon  his  engagement  to 
return  to  Madrid,  if  he  could  not  accomplish  such  terms  as  were 
agreed  on  betwixt  them  for  his  release ;  which  not  being  able 
to  do,  he  made  this,  and  came  to  it,  instead  of  returning  into 
Spain."  Dr.  Martin  Lister  also  describes  Madrid  in  his 
Travels  in  France,  l698  : — ^'  It  is  altogether  moresque,  in  imitation 
of  one  in  Spain  ;  with  at  least  two  rows  of  covered  galleries 
running  quite  round,  on  the  outside  the  four  faces  of  the  house ; 
which  sure  in  a  hot  country  are  really  refreshing  and  delightful ; 
and  this  is  said  to  be  on  purpose  for  a  defence  against  a  much 
hotter  climate  than  where  it  stands,  which  that  king  [Francis 
the  First]  had  no  mind  to  visit  a  second  time."] 

2  [A  convent  (see  post,  under  23rd  February,  l651).  This 
order  of  hermits  appeared  in  France  about  1257;  in  England 
about  1283.  The  name  bon  homme  is  said  to  have  been  given 
by  Louis  VI.] 


86  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

addition  of  a  well-painted  perspective,  is  to  appear- 
ance greatly  enlarged  ;  to  this  there  is  another 
part,  supported  by  arches  in  which  runs  a  stream 
of  water,  rising  in  the  aviary,  out  of  a  statue,  and 
seeming  to  flow  for  some  miles,  by  being  artificially 
continued  in  the  painting,  when  it  sinks  down  at  the 
wall.  It  is  a  very  agreeable  deceit.  At  the  end  of 
this  garden,  is  a  little  theatre,  made  to  change  with 
divers  pretty  scenes,  and  the  stage  so  ordered,  with 
figures  of  men  and  women  painted  on  light  boards, 
and  cut  out,  and,  by  a  person  who  stands  underneath, 
made  to  act  as  if  they  were  speaking,  by  guiding 
them,  and  reciting  words  in  different  tones,  as  the 
parts  require.^  We  were  led  into  a  round  cabinet, 
where  was  a  neat  invention  for  reflecting  lights,  by 
lining  divers  sconces  with  thin  shining  plates  of 
gilded  copper. 

In  one  of  the  rooms  of  state  was  an  excellent 
painting  of  Poussin,  being  a  Satyr  kneeling  ;  over 
the  chimney,  the  Coronation  of  the  Virghi,  by 
Paolo  Veronese ;  another  Madonna  over  the  door, 
and  that  of  Joseph,  by  Cigali ;  in  the  Hall,  a 
Cavaliero  di  INIalta,  attended  by  his  page,  said  to  be 
of  Michael  Angelo  ;  the  Rape  of  Proserpine,  with 
a  very  large  landscape  of  Correggio.  In  the  next 
room,  are  some  paintings  of  Primaticcio,  especially 
the  Helena,  the  Naked  Lady  brought  before 
Alexander,  well-painted,  and  a  Ceres.  In  the  bed- 
chamber a  picture  of  the  Cardinal  de  Liancourt,  of 
Raphael,  rarely  coloured.  In  the  cabinet  are  divers 
pieces  of  Bassano,  two  of  Polemburg,  four  of  Paul 
Bril,  the  skies  a  little  too  blue.  A  INIadonna  of 
Nicholao,  exceflently  painted  on  a  stone ;  a  Judith 
of  Mantegna ;  three  women  of  Jeronimo  ;  one  of 
Steenwyck   ;    a    JNIadonna    after    Titian,    and    a 

^  [This,  no  doubt,  was  one  of  those  ^'^jeux  de  marionnettes,''  of 
which  full  details  are  to  be  found  in  the  treatise  of  M.  Charles 
Magnin,  2nd  ed.  1862.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  87 

Magdalen  of  the  same  hand,  as  the  Count  esteems 
it ;  two  small  ])ieces  of  Paolo  Veronese,  being  the 
Martyrdoms  of  St.  Justina  and  St.  Catherine ;  a 
Madonna  of  Lucas  Van  Leyden,  sent  him  from  our 
King ;  six  more  of  old  Bassano  ;  two  excellent 
drawings  of  Albert ;  ^  a  Magdalen  of  Leonardo  da 
Vhici ;  four  of  Paolo ;  '^  a  very  rare  Madonna  of 
Titian,  given  him  also  by  our  King  ;  the  "Ecce 
Homo,"  shut  up  in  a  frame  of  velvet,  for  the  life  and 
accurate  finishhig  exceeding  all  description.  Some 
curious  agates,  and  a  chaplet  of  admirable  invention, 
the  intaglios  being  all  on  fruit-stones.  The  Count 
was  so  exceeding  civil,  that  he  would  needs  make 
his  lady  go  out  of  her  dressing-room,  that  he  might 
show  us  the  curiosities  and  pictures  in  it. 

We  went  thence  to  visit  one  Monsieur  Perishot, 
one  of  the  greatest  virtuosos  in  France,  for  his 
collection  of  pictures,  agates,  medals,  and  flowers, 
especially  tulips  and  anemones.  The  chiefest  of 
his  paintings  was  a  Sebastian,  of  Titian. 

From  him  we  went  to  Monsieur  Frene's,  who 
showed  us  many  rare  drawings,  a  Rape  of  Helen  in 
black  chalk ;  many  excellent  things  of  Snyders,  all 
naked ;  some  of  Julio  and  Michael  Angelo  ;  a 
Madonna  of  Passignano  ;  some  things  of  Parmensis, 
and  other  masters. 

The  next  morning,  being  recommended  to  one 
Monsieur  de  Hausse,  President  du  Parlement,  and 
once  Ambassador  at  Venice  for  the  French  King, 
we  were  very  civilly  received,  and  showed  his  library. 
Amongst  his  paintings  were,  a  rare  Venus  and 
Adonis  of  Veronese,  a  St.  Anthony,  after  the  first 
manner  of  Correggio,  and  a  rare  Madonna  of 
Palma. 

Sunday,  the  6th  JMarch,  I  went  to  Charenton,  two 
leagues  from  Paris,  to  hear  and  see  the  manner  of 

1  [Albert  Diirer.]  2  [Veronese.] 


88  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

the  French  Protestant  Church  service.  The  place 
of  meeting  they  call  the  Temple/  a  very  fair  and 
spacious  room,  built  of  freestone,  very  decently 
adorned  with  paintings  of  the  Tables  of  the  Law, 
the  Lord's  Prayer,  and  Creed.  The  pulpit  stands 
at  the  upper  end  in  the  middle,  having  an  inclosure 
of  seats  about  it,  where  the  elders  and  persons  of 
greatest  quality  and  strangers,  sit ;  the  rest  of  the 
congregation  on  forms  and  low  stools,  but  none 
in  pews,  as  in  our  churches,  to  their  great  disgrace, 
as  nothing  so  orderly,  as  here  the  stools  and  other 
cumber  are  removed  when  the  assembly  rises.  I 
was  greatly  pleased  with  their  harmonious  singing 
the  Psalms,  which  they  all  learn  perfectly  well, 
their  children  being  as  duly  taught  these,  as  their 
catechism. 

In  our  passage,  we  went  by  that  famous  bridge 
over  the  Marne,  where  that  renowned  echo  returns 
the  voice  of  a  good  singer  nine  or  ten  times. 

Itli  March,  I  set  forwards  with  some  company 
towards  Fontainebleau,  a  sumptuous  Palace  of  the 
King's,  like  ours  at  Hampton  Court,  about  fourteen 
leagues  from  the  city.  By  the  way,  we  pass  through 
a  forest  so  prodigiously  encompassed  with  hideous 
rocks  of  whitish  hard  stone  -  heaped  one  on  another 
in  mountainous  heights,  that  I  think  the  Uke  is 
nowhere  to  be  found  more  horrid  and  solitary.^     It 

^  [This  was  the  Temple  des  Protestants,  authorised  by  Henry 
IV.,  and  destroyed  in  1685  at  the  revocation  of  the  Edict  of 
Nantes.] 

-  [The  sandstone,  or  grh  de  Fontainebleau.^ 

^  Addison,  writing  to  Congreve  in  October,  1699^  was  more 
favourably  impressed  with  Fontainebleau.  ^'  I  am  however  so 
singular  as  to  prefer  Fontainebleau  to  all  the  rest.  It  is  situated 
among  rocks  and  woods  that  give  you  a  fine  variety  of  Savage 
prospects.  .  .  .  The  cascades  seem  to  break  through  the  Clefts 
and  cracks  of  Rocks  that  are  cover'd  over  with  Moss,  and  look  as 
if  they  were  piled  upon  one  another  b}^  Accident.  There  is  an 
Artificial  Wildness  in  the  Meadows,  Walks  and  Canals,  and 
ye   Garden  instead  of  a  Wall  is  Fenc'd  on  the  Lower  End  by  a 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  89 

abounds  witli  stags,  wolves,  boars,  and  not  long  after 
a  lynx,  or  ounce,  was  killed  amongst  them,  which  had 
devoured  some  passengers.  On  the  summit  of  one 
of  these  gloomy  precipices,  intermingled  with  trees 
and  shrubs,  the  stones  hanging  over,  and  menacing 
ruin,  is  built  an  hermitage.^  In  these  solitudes, 
rogues  frequently  lurk  and  do  mischief  (and  for 
whom  we  were  all  well  appointed  with  our  carabines) ; 
but  we  arrived  safe  in  the  evening  at  the  village, 
where  we  lay  at  the  Home,  going  early  next  morn- 
ing to  the  Palace. 

This  House  is  nothing  so  stately  and  uniform  as 
Hampton  Court,  but  Francis  I.  began  much  to 
beautify  it ;  most  of  all  Henry  IV.  and  (not  a  little) 
the  late  King.^  It  abounds  with  fair  halls,  chambers, 
and  galleries  ;  in  the  longest,  which  is  360  feet  long, 
and  18  broad,  are  painted  the  victories  of  that  great 
Prince,  Henry  IV.  That  of  Francis  I.,  called  the 
grand  Gallery,  has  all  the  King's  palaces  painted  in 
it ;  above  these,  in  sixty  pieces  of  excellent  work  in 
fresco,  is  the  History  of  Ulysses,  from  Homer,  by 
Primaticcio,  in  the  time  of  Henry  III.,  esteemed 
the  most  renowned  in  Europe  for  the  design.^ 
The  Cabinet  is  full  of  excellent  pictures,  especially 
a  Woman,  of  Raphael.  In  the  Hall  of  the  Guards 
is  a  piece  of  tapestry  painted  on  the  wall,  very 
naturally,  representing  the  victories  of  Charles  VII. 
over  our  countrymen.  In  the  Salle  des  Festins  is 
a  rare  Chimney-piece,  and  Henry  IV.  on  horseback, 
of  white  marble,  esteemed  worth  18,000  crowns; 

Natural  mound  of  Rock-work  that  strikes  the  Eye  very  Agreeably  " 
{Life  of  Joseph  Addiso?i,  by  Lucy  Aikin,  1843,  i.  p.  77).] 

1  [This,  which  is  stated  to  have  been  above  the  Gorges 
d'Apremont  and  de  Franchard,  dated  from  Philippe- Auguste.  It 
was  destroyed  by  Louis  XIV.] 

2  [Louis  XIII.,  d.  14th  May,  l643.] 

3  [A  number  of  these,  owing  to  their  licentious  character, 
were  effaced  by  Anne  of  Austria  when,  in  1653,  she  became 
Regent.] 


90  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

dementia  and  Pax,  nobly  done.  On  columns  of 
jasper,  two  lions  of  brass.  The  new  stairs,  and  a 
half-circular  court,  are  of  modern  and  good  archi- 
tecture, as  is  a  chapel  built  by  Louis  XIII.,  all  of 
jasper,  with  several  incrustations  of  marble  through 
the  inside. 

Having  seen  the  rooms,  we  went  to  the  volary, 
which  has  a  cupola  in  the  middle  of  it,  great  trees 
and  bushes,  it  being  full  of  birds  who  drank  at  two 
fountains.  There  is  also  a  fair  tennis-court,  and 
noble  stables  ;  but  the  beauty  of  all  are  the  gardens. 
In  the  Court  of  the  Fountains  stand  divers  antiquities 
and  statues,  especially  a  Mercury.  In  the  Queen's 
Garden  is  a  Diana  ejecting  a  fountain,  with 
numerous  other  brass  statues. 

The  great  Garden,  180  toises  long  and  154  wide, 
has  in  the  centre  a  fountain  of  Tiber  of  a  Colossean 
figure  of  brass,  with  the  Wolf  over  Ilomulus  and 
Remus. ^  At  each  corner  of  the  garden  rises  a 
fountain.  In  the  garden  of  the  piscina,  is  a 
Hercules  of  white  marble  :  next,  is  that  of  the  pines, 
and  without  that  a  canal  of  an  English  mile  in 
length,  at  the  end  of  which  rise  three  jettos  in  the 
form  of  a  fleur-de-lis,  of  a  great  height ;  on  the 
margin  are  excellent  walks  planted  with  trees.  The 
carps  come  familiarly  to  hand  [to  be  fed].  Hence 
they  brought  us  to  a  spring,  which  they  say  being 
first  discovered  by  a  dog,  gave  occasion  of  beautify- 
ing this  place,  both  with  the  palace  and  gardens. ' 
The  white  and  terrific  rocks  at  some  distance  in  the 

^  ["  At  the  toppe  of  it  there  is  represented  in  brasse  tlie 
Image  of  RomuliLs  very  largely  made^,  b'^^S  sidelong  and  leaning, 
upon  one  of  his  elbowes.  Under  one  of  his  legs  is  carved  the 
shee  Wolfe,  with  Roviuhis  and  Remus  veiy  little,  like  sucklings, 
sucking  at  her  teats"  (Coryat  in  16O8,  Crudities,  1776,  i.  36).] 

•^  [The  "Fontaine  Bleau  "  or  "de  Belle  Eau  "  (supposed  by 
some  to  give  its  name  to  the  place),  the  source  of  which  was  lost 
in  forming  the  artificial  ponds.  The  gardens  at  Fontainebleau 
were  laid  out  by  Le  Notre  for  Louis  XIV.] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  91 


forest,  yield  one  of  the  most  august  and  stupendous 
prospects  imaginable.  The  park  about  this  place  is 
very  large,  and  the  town  full  of  noblemen's  houses. 

Next  morning,  we  were  invited  by  a  painter, 
who  was  keeper  of  the  pictures  and  rarities,  to  see 
his  own  collection.  We  were  led  through  a  gallery 
of  old  llosso's  work,^  at  the  end  of  which,  in 
another  cabinet,  were  three  JNIadonnas  of  Raphael, 
and  two  of  Andrea  del  Sarto.  In  the  Academy 
where  the  painter  himself  wrought,  was  a  St. 
Michael,  of  Raphael,  very  rare  ;  St.  John  Baptist, 
of  Leonardo,  and  a  Woman's  head ;  a  Queen  of 
Sicily,  and  St.  Margaret,  of  Raphael ;  two  more 
Madonnas,  whereof  one  very  large,  by  the  same 
hand  ;  some  more  of  del  Sarto  ;  a  St.  Jerome,  of 
Pierino  del  ^^aga ;  the  Rape  of  Proserpine,  very 
good  ;  and  a  great  number  of  drawings. 

Returning  part  of  our  way  to  Paris,  that  day, 
we  visited  a  house  called  Maison  Rouge,  having  an 
excellent  prospect,  grot,  and  fountains,  one  whereof 
rises  fifty  feet,  and  resembles  the  noise  of  a  tempest, 
battles  of  guns,  etc.,  at  its  issue. 

Thence  to  Essonnes,  a  house  of  Monsieur 
Essling,  who  is  a  great  virtuoso  ;  there  are  many 
good  paintings  in  it ;  but  nothing  so  observable 
as  his  gardens,  fountains,  fish-pools,  especially  that 
in  a  triangular  form,  the  water  cast  out  by  a 
multitude  of  heads  about  it :  there  is  a  noble 
cascade  and  pretty  baths,  with  all  accommodations. 
Under  a  marble  table  is  a  fountain  of  serpents 
twisting  about  a  globe. 

We  alighted  next  at  Corbeil,  a  town  famous  for 
the  siege  by  Henry  IV.  Here  we  slept,  and 
returned  next  morning  to  Paris. 

18^^   March,    I    went   with    Sir    J.    Cotton,    a 

^  [Giovanbattista  Rosso  (Maitre  Roux),  1496-1541,  a  Florentine 
who  designed  tlie  Gallery  of  Francis  I.  at  Fontainebleau,  and 
executed  many  of  the  pictures.] 


92  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


Cambridgeshire  Knight,^  a  journey  into  Normandy. 
The  first  day,  we  passed  by  Gaillon,  the  Arch- 
bishop of  Rouen's  Palace."  The  gardens  are  highly 
commended,  but  we  did  not  go  in,  intending  to 
reach  Pontoise  by  dinner.  This  town  is  built  in  a 
very  gallant  place,  has  a  noble  bridge  over  the 
Oise,  and  is  well  refreshed  with  fountains. 

This  is  the  first  town  in  Normandy,  and  the 
farthest  that  the  vineyards  extend  to  on  this  side 
of  the  country,  which  is  fuller  of  plains,  wood,  and 
enclosures,  with  some  towns  towards  the  sea,  very 
like  England. 

We  lay  this  night  at  a  village,  called  JNIagny. 
The  next  day,  descending  a  very  steep  hill,  we 
dined  at  Fleury,  after  riding  five  leagues  down 
St.  Catherine,  to  Rouen,  which  affords  a  goodly 
prospect,  to  the  ruins  of  that  chapel  and  mountain. 
This  country  so  abounds  with  wolves  that  a 
shepherd  whom  we  met,  told  us  one  of  his 
companions  was  strangled  by  one  of  them  the  day 
before,  and  that  in  the  midst  of  his  flock.  The 
fields  are  mostly  planted  with  pears  and  apples, 
and  other  cider  fruits.  It  is  plentifully  furnished 
with  quarries  of  stone  and  slate,  and  hath  iron  in 
abundance. 

I  lay  at  the  White  Cross,  in  Rouen,  which  is  a 
very  large  city,  on  the  Seine,  having  two  smaller 
rivers  besides,  called  the  Aubette  and  Robec. 
There  stand  yet  the  ruins  of  a  magnificent  bridge 
of  stone,^  now  supplied  by  one  of  boats  only,  to 
which   come    up   vessels   of   considerable    burden. 

^  [Sir  John  Cotton,  1621-1701,  third  Baronet.  See  jwo-y/,  under 
12th  March,  1668,  for  reference  to  his  Ubrary.] 

2  [Part  only  of  the  chateau  of  the  Archbishops  of  Rouen  now 
remains,  the  major  portion  having  been  demohshed  at  the 
Revolution.] 

^  [Built,  in  1167,  by  Queen  Matilda,  daughter  of  Henry  I. 
It  lasted  till  the  middle  of  the  fifteenth  century,  when  the  bridge 
of  boats  was  substituted.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  93 

The  other  side  of  the  water  consists  of  meadows, 
and  there  have  the  Reformed  a  Church. 

The  Cathedral  Notre  Dame  was  built,  as  they 
acknowledge,  by  the  English ;  some  English  words 
graven  in  Gothic  characters  upon  the  front  seem 
to  confirm  it.  The  towers  and  whole  church  are 
full  of  carving.  It  has  three  steeples,  with  a 
pyramid  ;  in  one  of  these,  I  saw  the  famous  bell 
so  much  talked  of,  thirteen  feet  in  height,  thirty- 
two  round,  the  diameter  eleven,  weighing  40,000 
pounds.^ 

In  the  Chapel  d'Amboise,  built  by  a  Cardinal 
of  that  name,-  lies  his  body,  with  several  fair 
monuments.  The  Choir  has  behind  it  a  great 
dragon  painted  on  the  wall,  which  they  say  had 
done  much  harm  to  the  inhabitants,  till  vanquished 
by  St.  Romain,  their  Archbishop  ;  for  which  there 
is  an  annual  procession.  It  was  now  near  Easter, 
and  many  images  were  exposed  with  scenes  and 
stories  representing  the  Passion  ;  made  up  of  little 
puppets,  to  which  there  was  great  resort  and 
devotion,  with  offerings.  Before  the  church  is  a 
fair  palace.  St.  Ouen  is  another  goodly  church 
and  an  abbey  with  fine  gardens.  Here  the  King- 
hath  lodgings,  when  he  makes  his  progress  through 
these  parts.  The  structure,  where  the  Court  of 
Parliament  is  kept,^  is  very  magnificent,  contain- 
ing very  fair  halls  and  chambers,  especially  La 
Chambre  Doree.  The  town-house  is  also  well 
built,  and  so  are  some  gentlemen's  houses ;  but 
most   part   of  the   rest    are   of    timber,    like    our 

1  [In  the  south-west  tower  {Tour  de  Beurre).  It  was  called 
George  d'Amboise  after  the  Cardinal  of  that  name  (Archbishop 
of  Rouen,  and  the  popular  Minister  of  Louis  XII.),  and  was 
melted  at  the  Revolution,  all  but  a  fragment  in  the  Museum.] 

2  [George  d'Amboise,  1460-1510,  above  mentioned.  His 
body,  and  that  of  his  brother,  w^ere  torn  from  their  graves  in 
179'^,  and  the  lead  of  the  coffins  melted.] 

2  [Now  the  Salle  d'Assises.] 


94  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

merchants'  in  London,  in  the  wooden  part  of  the 
city. 

2lst  March.  On  Easter  Monday,  we  dined  at 
Totes,  a  sohtary  inn  between  Rouen  and  Dieppe, 
at  which  latter  place  we  arrived.  This  town  is 
situated  between  two  mountains,  not  unpleasantly, 
and  is  washed  on  the  north  by  our  English  seas. 

The  port  is  commodious ;  but  the  entrance 
difficult.  It  has  one  very  ample  and  fair  street, 
in  which  is  a  pretty  church.  The  Fort  PoUet 
consists  of  a  strong  earth-work,  and  commands  the 
haven,  as  on  the  other  side  does  the  castle,  which 
is  also  well  fortified,  with  the  citadel  before  it ;  nor 
is  the  town  itself  a  little  strong.  It  abounds  with 
workmen,  who  make  and  sell  curiosities  of  ivory 
and  tortoise-shells ;  and  indeed  whatever  the  East 
Indies  afford  of  cabinets,  porcelain,  natural  and 
exotic  rarities,  are  here  to  be  had,  with  abundant 
choice. 

2Srd.  We  passed  along  the  coast  by  a  very 
rocky  and  rugged  way,  which  forced  us  to  alight 
many  times  before  we  came  to  Havre  de  Grace, 
where  we  lay  that  night. 

The  next  morning,  we  saw  the  citadel,  strong 
and  regular,  well  stored  with  artillery  and  ammuni- 
tion of  all  sorts  :  ^  the  works  furnished  with  fair 
brass  cannon,  having  a  motto.  Ratio  ultima  Regum. 
The  allogements  of  the  garrison  are  uniform  ;  a 
spacious  place  for  drawing  up  the  soldiers,  a  pretty 
chapel,  and  a  fair  house  for  the  Governor.  The 
Duke  of  Richelieu  being  now  in  the  fort,  we  went 
to  salute  him  ;  who  received  us  very  civilly,  and 
commanded  that  we  should  be  showed  whatever 
we  desired  to  see.  The  citadel  was  built  by  the 
late  Cardinal  de   Richelieu,  uncle   of  the  present 

^  [Where  Cardinal  Mazarin,  six  years  later,  shut  up  the  leaders 
of  the  Fronde,  Conde,  Conti,  and  Longueville, — "  the  lion,  the 
ape,  and  the  fox,"  according  to  Gaston  of  Orleans.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  95 

Duke,  and  may  be  esteemed  one  of  the  strongest 
in  France.     The  haven  is  very  capacious. 

When  we  had  done  here,  we  embarked  our- 
selves and  horses  to  pass  to  Honfleur,  about  four 
or  five  leagues  distant,  where  the  Seine  falls  into 
the  sea.  It  is  a  poor  fisher-town,  remarkable  for 
nothing  so  much  as  the  odd,  yet  useful  habits 
which  the  good  women  wear,  of  bears'  and  other 
skins,  as  of  rugs  at  Dieppe,  and  all  along  these 
maritime  coasts. 

25tli  3I(U'ch.  We  arrived  at  Caen,  a  noble  and 
beautiful  town,  situate  on  the  river  Orne,  which 
passes  quite  through  it,  the  two  sides  of  the  town 
joined  only  by  a  bridge  of  one  entire  arcli.  We 
lay  at  the  Angel,  where  we  were  very  well  used, 
the  place  being  abundantly  furnished  with  pro- 
visions, at  a  cheap  rate.  The  most  considerable 
object  is  the  great  Abbey  and  Church,  large  and 
rich,  built  after  the  Gothic  manner,  having  two 
spires  and  middle  lantern  at  the  west  end,  all  of 
stone.  The  choir  round  and  large,  in  the  centre 
whereof,  elevated  on  a  square,  handsome,  but  plain 
sepulchre,^  is  this  inscription  : 

Hoc  sepulchrum  invictissimi  juxta  et  clenientissimi  con- 
questoris,  Gulielmi,  dum  viverat  Anglorum  Regis,  Norman- 
norum  Cenomannorumque  Principis,  hujus  insignis  Abbatiae 
piissimi  Fundatoris :  Cum  anno  1562  vesano  liaereticoruni 
furore  direptum  fuisset,  pio  tandem  nobilium  ejusdem 
Abbatiae  religiosorum  gratitudinis  sensu  in  tarn  beneficuni 
largitorem,  instauratum  fuit,  aP  D'ni  1642.  ITno  Johanne 
de  Bailhache  iVssa?torii  proto  priore.     D.D. 


1  [This  was  a  second  tomb,  erected  circa  l626,  which  had 
replaced  an  earlier  one,  and  only  contained  a  thigh-bone  of  the 
Conqueror.  "  In  1742,  this  second  tomb,  being  considered  to 
be  in  the  way  of  the  services  of  the  church,  was  removed  to 
another  part  of  the  choir,  where  it  was  destroyed  and  rifled  in 
1 793,  when  the  one  remaining  fragment  of  the  body  of  William 
was  lost  for  ever"  (Hare's  NoHh-Western  France,  1895,  11 6).] 


96  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

On  the  other  side  are  these  monkish  rhymes  : 

Qui  rexit  rigidos  Northmannos,  atq.  Britannos 

Audacter  vicit,  fortiter  obtinuit^ 
Et  Cenomanensis  virtute  coercuit  ensis, 

Imperiique  sui  Legibus  applicuit. 
Rex  magniis  parva  jacet  hac  Gulielm'  in  uma, 

Sufficit  et  magno  parva  domus  Domino. 
Ter  septem  gradibus  te  volverat  atq.  duobus 

Virginis  in  gremio  Phoebus^  et  hie  obiit. 

We  went  to  the  castle,  which  is  strong  and  fair, 
and  so  is  the  town-house,  built  on  the  bridge  which 
unites  the  two  towns.  Here  are  schools  and  an 
University  for  the  Jurists. 

The  whole  town  is  handsomely  built  of  that 
excellent  stone  so  well  known  by  that  name  in 
England.^  I  was  led  to  a  pretty  garden,  planted 
with  hedges  of  alaternus,^  having  at  the  entrance  a 
screen  at  an  exceeding  height,  accurately  cut  in 
topiary  work,  with  well -understood  architecture, 
consisting  of  pillars,  niches,  friezes,  and  other 
ornaments,  with  great  curiosity ;  some  of  the 
columns  curiously  wreathed,  others  spiral,  all 
according  to  art. 

28M  March.  We  went  towards  Paris,  lying  the 
first  night  at  Evreux,  a  Bishop's  seat,  an  ancient 
town,  with  a  fair  cathedral ;  so  the  next  day  we 
arrived  at  Paris. 

1^^  ApiiL  I  went  to  see  more  exactly  the 
rooms  of  the  fine  Palace  of  Luxembourg,  in  the 
Faubourg  St.  Germain,  built  by  Marie  de  Medicis/ 


Caen  stone,  akin  to  our  Bath  and  Portland  stone.] 

'A  kind  of  buckthorn.] 

Of  which  the  architect  was  Salomon  Debrosse,  d.  l62(), 
who  may  have  recalled  the  Pitti  Palace  at  Florence,  where 
Marie  de  Medicis  had  passed  her  younger  days.  Addison  certainly 
noticed  a  similarity.  ^^  It "  [the  Pitti  Palace],  he  says,  "  is  not 
unlike  that  of  Luxeitiburg  at  Paris,  which  was  built  by  Manj  of 
Medicis,  and  for  that  Reason  perhaps  the  Workmen  fell  into  the 
Tuscan  humour"  {Remarks  07i  Italy,  1705,  p.  409).  The  Luxem- 
bourg, now  known  as  the  Palais  du  Senat,  was  built  1615-20.] 


^wwM^wr^' 


.-4/ 


"  III 


,s^jk-4^;j 


I'^^yiJ 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  97 


and  I  think  one  of  the  most  noble,  entire,  and 
finished  piles  that  is  to  be  seen,  taking  it  with  the 
garden  and  all  its  accomplishments.  The  gallery 
is  of  the  painting  of  Rubens,  being  the  history  of 
the  Foundress's  Life,  rarely  designed  ;  ^  at  the  end 
of  it  is  the  Duke  of  Orleans'  library,^  well  furnished 
with  excellent  books,  all  bound  in  maroquin  and 
gilded,  the  valance  of  the  shelves  being  of  green 
velvet,  fringed  with  gold.  In  the  cabinet  joining 
to  it  are  only  the  smaller  volumes,  with  six  cabinets 
of  medals,  and  an  excellent  collection  of  shells  and 
agates,  whereof  some  are  prodigiously  rich.  This 
Duke  being  very  learned  in  medals  and  plants, 
nothing  of  that  kind  escapes  him.^  There  are 
other  spacious,  noble,  and  princely  furnished  rooms, 
which  look  towards  the  gardens,  which  are  nothing 
inferior  to  the  rest. 

The  court  below  is  formed  into  a  square  by  a 
corridor,  having  over  the  chief  entrance  a  stately 
cupola,  covered  with  stone :  the  rest  is  cloistered 
and  arched  on  pilasters  of  rustic  work.  The  terrace 
ascending  before  the  front,  paved  with  white  and 
black  marble,  is  balustered  with  white  marble, 
exquisitely  polished. 

Only  the  hall  below  is  low,  and  the  staircase 
somewhat  of  a  heavy  design,  but  Wiefaccia  towards 
the  parterre,  which  is  also  arched  and  vaulted  with 
stone,  is  of  admirable  beauty,  and  full  of  sculpture. 

1  [Now  in  the  Louvre  (twenty -one  pictures).  They  were 
painted  between  1621-25.] 

2  [Gaston- Jean -Baptiste,  Duke  of  Orleans,  16O8-6O,  the 
King's  uncle,  second  son,  by  Henry  IV.,  of  Marie  de  Medecis, 
who  bequeathed  this  palace  to  him.  He  was  Lieutenant- 
General,  and  Governor  of  Languedoc] 

3  ["  There  is  no  man  alive  in  competition  with  him  for  his 
exquisite  skill  in  medailes,  topical  memory,  and  extraordinary 
knowledge  in  plants :  in  both  which  faculties  the  most  reputed 
Antiquaries  and  greatest  Botanists  do  (and  that  with  reason) 
acknowledg  him  both  their  prince  and  superiour "  (Evelyn's 
State  of  France,  Miscellaneous  Writings^  1825,  p.  55.] 

VOL.  I  H 


98  THE  DIARY  OF  i6u 

The  gardens  are  near  an  English  mile  in 
compass,  enclosed  with  a  stately  wall,  and  in  a 
good  air.^  The  parterre  is  indeed  of  box,  but  so 
rarely  designed  and  accurately  kept  cut,  that  the 
embroidery  makes  a  wonderful  effect  to  the 
lodgings  which  front  it.  'Tis  divided  into  four 
squares,  and  as  many  circular  knots,  having  in  the 
centre  a  noble  basin  of  marble  near  thirty  feet 
diameter  (as  I  remember),  in  which  a  Triton  of 
brass  holds  a  dolphin,  that  casts  a  girandola  of 
water  near  thirty  feet  high,  playing  perpetually, 
the  water  being  conveyed  from  Arceuil  by  an 
aqueduct  of  stone,  built  after  the  old  Roman 
magnificence.  About  this  ample  parterre,  the 
spacious  walks  and  all  included,  runs  a  border  of 
freestone,  adorned  with  pedestals  for  pots  and 
statues,  and  part  of  it  near  the  steps  of  the  terrace, 
with  a  rail  and  baluster  of  pure  white  marble. 

The  walks  are  exactly  fair,  long,  and  variously 
descending,  and  so  justly  planted  with  limes,  elms, 
and  other  trees,  that  nothing  can  be  more  delicious, 
especially  that  of  the  hornbeam  hedge,  which  being- 
high  and  stately,  buts  full  on  the  fountain. 

Towards  the  farther  end,  is  an  excavation  in- 
tended for  a  vast  fish-pool,  but  never  finished,  and 
near  it  is  an  inclosure  for  a  garden  of  simples,  well- 
kept  ;  and  here  the  Duke  keeps  tortoises  in  great 
number,  who  use  the  pool  of  water  on  one  side  of 
the  garden.  Here  is  also  a  conservatory  for  snow. 
At  the  upper  part,  towards  the  palace,  is  a  grove 
of  tall  elms  cut  into  a  star,  every  ray  being  a  walk, 
whose  centre  is  a  large  fountain. 

The  rest  of  the  ground  is  made  into  several 
inclosures  (all  hedge-work  or  rows  of  trees)  of 
whole  fields,  meadows,  bocages,  some  of  them 
containing  divers  acres. 

1  [They  were  also  designed  originally  by  Debrosse  (see  «w/e, 
p.  96,  71.  3).] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  99 

Next  the  street  side,  and  more  contiguous  to 
the  house,  are  knots  in  trail,  or  grass  work,  where 
likewise  runs  a  fountain.  Towards  the  grotto  and 
stables,  within  a  wall,  is  a  garden  of  choice  flowers, 
in  which  the  Duke  spends  many  thousand  pistoles. 
In  sum,  nothing  is  wanted  to  render  this  palace 
and  gardens  perfectly  beautiful  and  magnificent ; 
nor  is  it  one  of  the  least  diversions  to  see  the 
number  of  persons  of  quality,  citizens  and  strangers, 
who  frequent  it,  and  to  whom  all  access  is  freely 
permitted,  so  that  you  shall  see  some  walks  and 
retirements  full  of  gallants  and  ladies ;  in  others, 
melancholy  friars ;  in  others,  studious  scholars  ;  in 
others,  jolly  citizens,  some  sitting  or  lying  on  the 
grass,  others  running  and  jumping ;  some  playing 
at  bowls  and  ball,  others  dancing  and  singing ;  and 
all  this  without  the  least  disturbance,  by  reason  of 
the  largeness  of  the  place. 

What  is  most  admirable,  you  see  no  gardeners, 
or  men  at  work,  and  yet  all  is  kept  in  such 
exquisite  order,  as  if  they  did  nothing  else  but 
work ;  it  is  so  early  in  the  morning,  that  all  is 
despatched  and  done  without  the  least  confusion. 

I  have  been  the  larger  in  the  description  of  this 
paradise,  for  the  extraordinary  delight  I  have  taken 
in  those  sweet  retirements.  The  Cabinet  and 
Chapel  nearer  the  garden-front  have  some  choice 
pictures.  All  the  houses  near  this  are  also  very 
noble  palaces,  especially  Petit-Luxembourg.^  The 
ascent  of  the  street  is  handsome  from  its  breadth, 
situation,  and  buildings. 

I  went  next  to  view  Paris  from  the  top  of  St. 
Jacques'  steeple,^  esteemed  the  highest  in  the  town, 

1  [This,  now  the  residence  of  the  president  of  the  Senate, 
was  a  dependency  of  the  greater  palace,  erected  about  the  same 
date  by  Richeheu,  who  Hved  here  till  the  Palais  Royal  was 
built] 

2  [St.  Jacques-la-Boucherie,  of  which  the  tower  only  now  re- 
mains, the  church  having  been  pulled  down  in  1789.     In  climbing 


100  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

from  whence  I  had  a  full  view  of  the  whole  city 
and  suburbs,  both  which,  as  I  judge,  are  not  so 
large  as  London  :  though  the  dissimilitude  of  their 
several  forms  and  situations,  this  being  round, 
London  long, — renders  it  difficult  to  determine  ; 
but  there  is  no  comparison  between  the  buildings, 
palaces,  and  materials,  this  being  entirely  of  stone 
and  more  sumptuous,  though  I  esteem  our  piazzas 
to  exceed  theirs. 

Hence  I  took  a  turn  in  St.  Innocent's  church- 
yard,^ where  the  story  of  the  devouring  quality  of 
the  ground  (consuming  bodies  in  twenty-four  hours), 
the  vast  charnels  of  bones,  tombs,  pyramids,  and 
sepulchres,  took  up  much  of  my  time,  together 
with  the  hieroglyphical  characters  of  Nicholas 
Flam  el's  ^  philosophical  work,  who  had  founded  this 

it  Evelyn  was  following  Howell's  suggestion  (^Forreine  Travell, 
1642,  Sect,  iii.)  ;  and  also  Lassels,  who  says  (^Voyage  of  Italy,  1670, 
i.  p.  121):  "1  would  wish  my  Traveler  ...  to  make  it  his 
constant  practise  (as  I  did)  to  mount  up  the  chief  Steeple  of  all 
great  townes." 

Richard  Lassels,  often  referred  to  in  the  succeeding  notes, 
was  a  Roman  Catholic  divine  who  died  at  Montpellier  in  1668. 
He  had  been  professor  of  classics  at  the  English  College  at 
Douay.  His  travels  (in  two  volumes)  were  published  posthum- 
ously at  Paris  by  Vincent  du  Moutier,  under  the  care  of  his 
friend,  S.  Wilson,  who  inscribed  them  to  Richard,  Lord  Lumley, 
Viscount  Waterford.  Evelyn  was  probably  familiar  with  the 
book  ;  and  perhaps  employed  it  occasionally,  when  writing  up 
his  Memoirs,  to  refresh  his  memory.] 

^  [The  church  and  churchyard  were  closed  in  1786,  and  the 
Biie  and  Square  des  Innocents  now  occupy  the  site.  A  later 
visitor  than  Evelyn  thus  describes  the  spot : — "  St.  Innocent's 
churchyard,  the  public  burying-place  of  the  City  of  Paris  for  a 
1000  years,  when  intire  (as  I  once  saw  it,)  and  built  about  with 
double  galleries  full  of  skull  and  bones,  was  an  awful  and  vener- 
able sight ;  but  now  I  found  it  in  ruins,  and  the  greatest  of  the 
galleries  pulled  down,  and  a  row  of  houses  built  in  their  room, 
and  the  bones  removed  I  know  not  whither :  the  rest  of  the 
churchyard  in  the  most  neglected  and  nastiest  pickle  I  ever  saw 
any  consecrated  place  "  (Lister's  Travels  in  France,  I698).] 

2  [Nicholas  Flamel,  the  alchemist,  1350-1418.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  101 

church,  and  divers  other  charitable  estabhshments, 
as  he  testifies  in  his  book. 

Here  divers  clerks  get  their  livelihood  by  in- 
diting letters  for  poor  maids  and  other  ignorant 
people  who  come  to  them  for  advice,  and  to  write 
for  them  into  the  country,  both  to  their  sweet- 
hearts, parents,  and  friends  ;  every  large  gravestone 
serving  for  a  table.  Joining  to  this  church  is  a 
common  fountain,  with  good  rilievos  upon  it.^ 

The  next  day  I  was  carried  to  see  a  French 
gentleman's  curious  collection,  which  abounded  in 
fair  and  rich  jewels  of  all  sorts  of  precious  stones, 
most  of  them  of  great  sizes  and  value ;  agates  and 
onyxes,  some  of  them  admirably  coloured  and 
antique ;  nor  inferior  were  his  landscapes  from  the 
best  hands,  most  of  which  he  had  caused  to  be 
copied  in  miniature ;  one  of  which,  rarely  painted 
on  stone,  was  broken  by  one  of  our  company,  by 
the  mischance  of  setting  it  up  :  but  such  was  the 
temper  and  civility  of  the  gentleman,  that  it  altered 
nothing  of  his  free  and  noble  humour. 

The  next  morning,  I  was  had  by  a  friend  to  the 
garden  of  IVIonsieur  Morine,  who,  from  being  an 
ordinary  gardener,  is  become  one  of  the  most 
skilful  and  curious  persons  in  France  for  his  rare 
collection  of  shells,  flowers,  and  insects. 

His  garden  is  of  an  exact  oval  figure,  planted 
with  cypress,  cut  flat  and  set  as  even  as  a  wall : 
the  tulips,  anemones,  ranunculuses,  crocuses,  etc., 
are  held  to  be  of  the  rarest,  and  draw  all  the 
admirers  of  that  kind  to  his  house  during  the 
season.  He  lived  in  a  kind  of  hermitage  at  one  side 
of  his  garden,  where  his  collection  of  porcelain  and 
coral,  whereof  one  is  carved  into  a  large  crucifix, 
is  much  esteemed.  He  has  also  books  of  prints, 
by  Albert  [Diirer],  Van  Leyden,  Callot,  etc.     His 

^  [The  Fo?itame  des  Innocents,  now  moved  to  another  site.  Its 
rilievos  were  by  Jean  Goujon.] 


102  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


collection  of  all  sorts  of  insects,  especially  of 
butterflies,  is  most  curious ;  these  he  spreads  and 
so  medicates,  that  no  corruption  invading  them,  he 
keeps  them  in  drawers,  so  placed  as  to  represent  a 
beautiful  piece  of  tapestry. 

He  showed  me  the  remarks  he  had  made  on 
their  propagation,  which  he  promised  to  publish. 
Some  of  these,  as  also  of  his  best  flowers,  he  had 
caused  to  be  painted  in  miniature  by  rare  hands, 
and  some  in  oil. 

Qth  Ajml.  I  sent  my  sister  my  o\^ai  picture  in 
water-colours,^  which  she  requested  of  me,  and  went 
to  see  divers  of  the  fairest  palaces  of  the  town,  as 
that  of  Vendome,  very  large  and  stately ;  Longue- 
ville  ;  Guise  ;  Conde  ;  Chevreuse  ;  Nevers,  esteemed 
one  of  the  best  in  Paris  towards  the  river. 

I  often  went  to  the  Palais  Cardinal,  bequeathed 
by  Richelieu  to  the  King,  on  condition  that  it 
should  be  called  by  his  name ;  at  this  time,  the 
King  resided  in  it,  because  of  the  building  of  the 
Louvre.  It  is  a  very  noble  house,  though  some- 
what low ;  the  galleries,  paintings  of  the  most 
illustrious  persons  of  both  sexes,  the  Queen's  baths, 
presence-chamber  with  its  rich  carved  and  gilded 
roof,  theatre,  and  large  garden,  in  which  is  an 
ample  fountain,  grove,  and  mall,  worthy  of  remark. 
Here  I  also  frequently  went  to  see  them  ride  and 
exercise  the  great  horse,  especially  at  the  Academy 
of  Monsieur  du  Plessis,  and  de  Veau,^  whose  schools 

1  In  the  first  and  second  editions  of  the  Diaiy — says  Forster 
— many  trifling  personal  details,  such  as  this  mention  of  the 
author  having  sent  his  own  picture  in  water-colours  to  his  sister, 
were  omitted.  It  is  not  necessary  to  point  them  out  in  detail. 
They  are  always  of  this  personal  character ;  as,  among  other 
examples,  the  mention  of  the  wet  weather  preventing  the  diarist 
from  stirring  out  (see  post,  15th  November),  and  that  of  his 
coming  weary  to  his  lodgings  (lOth  November). 

''  [It  must  have  been  at  this  establishment,  or  at  that  of 
Monsieur  del  Camp,  which  Evelyn  mentions  elsewhere,  that  he 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  103 


of  that  art  are  frequented  by  the  nobility  ;  and  here 
also  young  gentlemen  are  taught  to  fence,  dance, 
play  on  music,  and  something  in  fortification  and 
the  mathematics.^  The  design  is  admirable,  some 
keeping  near  a  hundred  brave  horses,  all  managed 
to  the  great  saddle. 

12M  April.  I  took  coach,  to  see  a  general  muster 
of  all  the  gens  d'arines  about  the  City,  in  the  Bois 
de  Boulogne,  before  their.  Majesties,  and  all  the 
Grandees.  They  were  reputed  to  be  near  20,000, 
besides  the  spectators,  who  much  exceeded  them  in 
number.  Here  they  performed  all  their  motions  ; 
and,  being  drawn  up,  horse  and  foot,  into  several 
figures,  represented  a  battle. 

The  summer  now  drawing  near,  I  determined 
to  spend  the  rest  of  it  in  some  more  remote  town 
on  the  river  Loire ;  and,  on  19th  April,  I  took 
leave  of  Paris,  and,  by  the  way  of  the  messenger, 
agreed  for  my  passage  to  Orleans. 

The  way  from  Paris  to  this  city,  as  indeed 
most  of  the  roads  in  France,  is  paved  with  a  small 
square  freestone,  so  that  the  country  does  not  much 
molest  the  traveller  with  dirt  and  ill  way,  as  in 
England,  only  'tis  somewhat  hard  to  the  poor 
horses'  feet,  which  causes  them  to  ride  more  temper- 
ately, seldom  going  out  of  the  trot,  or  grand  pas, 
as  they  call  it.  We  passed  divers  walled  towns, 
or  villages  ;  amongst  others  of  note,  Chartres  and 
Etampes,  where  we  lay  the  first  night.  This  has 
a  fair  church.     The  next  day,  we  had  an  excellent 

first  made  acquaintance  with  Thomas  Butler,  Earl  of  Ossory  (see 
post,  under  26th  July,  I68O).] 

1  [This  was  the  recognised  curriculum.  ''  I  followed  here 
[at  Paris],"  says  Reresby  in  1658,  "the  exercises  of  music, 
fencing,  dancing  and  mathematics,  as  before"  (JMemoirs,  1875, 
p.  S&).  These  accomplishments,  according  to  Howell  {Foireine 
Travell,  1642,  Sect,  iv.),  could  all  be  acquired  for  about  150 
pistoles  (£110),  including  lodging  and  diet.  Reresby  lived  in  a 
pejision  of  the  Isle  du  Palais  (see  ante,  p.  70).] 


104  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

road  ;  but  had  like  to  come  short  home  :  for  no 
sooner  were  we  entered  two  or  three  leagues  into 
the  Forest  of  Orleans  (which  extends  itself  many 
miles),  but  the  company  behind  us  were  set  on  by 
rogues,  who,  shooting  from  the  hedges  and  frequent 
covert,  slew  four  upon  the  spot.  Amongst  the  slain 
was  a  captain  of  Swiss,  of  the  regiment  of  Picardy, 
a  person  much  lamented.  This  disaster  made  such 
an  alarm  in  Orleans  at  our  arrival,  that  the  Prevot 
Marshal,  with  his  assistants,  going  in  pursuit, 
brought  in  two  whom  they  had  shot,  and  exposed 
them  in  the  great  market-place,  to  see  if  any 
would  take  cognisance  of  them.  I  had  great  cause 
to  give  God  thanks  for  this  escape ;  when  coming 
to  Orleans  and  lying  at  the  AVhite  Cross,  I  found 
Mr.  John  Nicholas,  eldest  son  to  JMr.  Secretary.^ 
In  the  night  a  cat  kittened  on  my  bed,  and  left 
on  it  a  young  one  having  six  ears,  eight  legs,  two 
bodies  from  the  middle  downwards,  and  two  tails. 
I  found  it  dead,  but  warm,  in  the  morning  when 
I  awaked.^ 

21^^  April,  I  went  about  to  view  the  city, 
which  is  well  built  of  stone,  on  the  side  of  the 
Loire.  About  the  middle  of  the  river  is  an  island, 
full  of  walks  and  fair  trees,  with  some  houses. 
This  is  contiguous  to  the  town  by  a  stately  stone- 

1  [Sir  Edward  Nicholas,  1593-1669,  Secretary  of  State  to 
Charles  I.  and  Charles  II.,  being  succeeded  by  the  Earl  of 
Arlington.  He  had  a  seat  at  West  Horsley,  where  he  died. 
See  post,  under  14th  Sej)tember,  l665.] 

2  This  passage  (says  Forster)  has  not  been  printed  since  the 
quarto  editions,  and  it  would  be  difficult  to  say  what  induced 
its  omission  in  the  octavo  editions,  unless  Evelyn's  apparent 
confusion  as  to  the  name  of  the  inn  at  Orleans  where  the 
adventure  occurred  (for  he  calls  it  the  White  Lion  as  well  as  the 
White  Cross)  may  have  caused  the  original  editor  to  doubt  the 
miracle  altogether.  As  printed  in  the  quarto  [1819,  i-  57],  it 
begins  "  I  lay  at  the  White  Lion,  where  I  found  Mr.  John 
Nicholas,  eldest  son  to  Mr.  Secretary,"  etc.  (see  note  1,  ante, 
p.  33). 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  105 


bridge,  reaching  to  the  opposite  suburbs,  built 
likewise  on  the  edge  of  a  hill,  from  whence  is  a 
beautiful  prospect.  At  one  of  the  extremes  of  the 
bridge  are  strong  towers,  and  about  the  middle, 
on  one  side,  is  the  statue  of  the  Virgin  Mary,  or 
Pieta,  with  the  dead  Christ  in  her  lap,  as  big  as 
the  life.  At  one  side  of  the  cross,  kneels  Cliarles 
VII.  armed,  and  at  the  other  Joan  d'Arc,  armed 
also  like  a  cavalier,  with  boots  and  spurs,  her  hair 
dishevelled,  as  the  deliveress  of  the  town  from  our 
countrymen,  when  they  besieged  it.^  The  figures 
are  all  cast  in  copper,  with  a  pedestal  full  of  inscrip- 
tions, as  well  as  a  fair  column  joining  it,  which  is 
all  adorned  with  fleurs-de-lis  and  a  crucifix,  with 
two  saints  proceeding  (as  it  were)  from  two 
branches  out  of  its  capital.  The  inscriptions  on  the 
cross  are  in  Latin :  "  Mors  Christi  in  cruce  nos  a 
contagione  labis  et  aeternorum  morborum  sanavit." 
On  the  pedestal :  "  Rex  in  hoc  signo  hostes  pro- 
fligavit,  et  Johanna  Virgo  Aureliam  obsidio  libe- 
ravit.  Non  diu  ab  impiis  diruta,  restituta  sunt  hoc 
anno  D  ni  1578.  Jean  Buret,  m.  f " — "  Octannoque 
Galliam  servitute  Britannica  liberavit.  A  Domino 
factum  est  illud,  et  est  mirabile  in  oculis  nostris ; 
in  quorum  memoria  heec  nostrse  fidei  Insignia." 
To  this  is  made  an  annual  procession  on  12th  May, 
mass  being  sung  before  it,  attended  with  great 
ceremony  and  concourse  of  people.  The  wine  of 
this  place  is  so  strong,  that  the  King's  cup-bearers 
are,  as  I  was  assured,  sworn  never  to  give  the  King 
any  of  it ;  but  it  is  a  very  noble  liquor,  and  much 
of  it  transported  into  other  countries.  The  town 
is  much  frequented  by  strangers,  especially  Ger- 
mans, for  the  great  purity  of  the  language  here 
spoken,  as  well  as  for  divers  other  privileges,  and 
the  University,  which  causes  the  English  to  make 

1  [This  statue  was  broken  in  pieces  by  the  Revolutionists  of 
1792  to  melt  into  cannon.] 


106  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

no  long  sojourn  here,  except  such  as  can  drink 
and  debauch.^  The  city  stands  in  the  county  of 
Beauce  (Belsia) ;  was  once  styled  a  kingdom,  after- 
wards a  duchy,  as  at  present,  belonging  to  the 
second  son  of  France.  Many  Councils  have  been 
held  here,  and  some  Kings  crowned.  The  Uni- 
versity is  very  ancient,  divided  now  by  the  students 
into  that  of  four  nations,  French,  High  Dutch, 
Normans,  and  Picardines,  who  have  each  their 
respective  protectors,  several  officers,  treasurers, 
consuls,  seals,  etc.  There  are  in  it  two  reasonable 
fair  public  hbraries,  whence  one  may  borrow  a 
book  to  one's  chamber,  giving  but  a  note  under 
hand,  which  is  an  extraordinary  custom,  and  a 
confidence  that  has  cost  many  libraries  dear.  The 
first  church  I  went  to  visit  was  St.  Croix  ;  it  has 
been  a  stately  fabric,  but  now  much  ruined  by  the 
late  civil  wars.  They  report  the  tower  of  it  to 
have  been  the  highest  in  France.  There  is  the 
beginning  of  a  fair  reparation.^  About  this 
cathedral  is  a  very  spacious  cemetery.  The  town- 
house  is  also  very  nobly  built,  with  a  high  tower  to 
it.  The  market-place  and  streets,  some  whereof 
are  deliciously  planted  with  limes,  are  ample  and 
straight,  so  well  paved  with  a  kind  of  pebble,  that 
I  have  not  seen  a  neater  town  in  France.  In  fine, 
this  city  was  by  Francis  I.  esteemed  the  most 
agreeable  of  his  vast  dominions. 

2Sth  ApriL  Taking  boat  on  the  Loire,  I  went 
towards  Elois,  the  passage  and  river  being  both 
very  pleasant.  Passing  Mehun,  we  dined  at 
Beaugency,  and  slept  at  a  little  town,  called  St. 

1  ["They  are  at  y*^  Cabaret  from  moniing  to  night" — says 
Addison  of  the  Germans  at  Orleans — "  and  I  suppose  come  into 
France  on  no  other  accomit  but  to  Drink"  (Addison  to  Mr. 
Stanyan,  February,  1700.)] 

'■^  [The  Cathedral  of  St.  Croix  was  begun  by  Henri  IV.  in 
l601,  and  continued  under  Louis  XIII.,  XIV.,  and  XV.l 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  107 

Die.^  Quitting  our  bark,  we  hired  liorses  to  Blois, 
by  the  way  of  Chambord,  a  famous  house  of  the 
King's,  built  by  Francis  I.  in  the  middle  of  a 
solitary  park,  full  of  deer,  enclosed  with  a  wall.  I 
was  particularly  desirous  of  seeing  this  palace,  from 
the  extravagance  of  the  design,  especially  the  stair- 
case, mentioned  by  Palladio.  It  is  said  that  1800 
workmen  were  constantly  employed  in  this  fabric  for 
twelve  years :  if  so,  it  is  wonderful  that  it  was  not 
finished,  it  being  no  greater  than  divers  gentlemen's 
houses  in  England,  both  for  room  and  circuit. 
The  carvings  are  indeed  very  rich  and  full.  The 
staircase  is  devised  with  four  entries,  or  ascents, 
which  cross  one  another,  so  that  though  four 
persons  meet,  they  never  come  in  sight,  but  by 
small  loop-holes,  till  they  land.  It  consists  of  274 
steps  (as  I  remember),  and  is  an  extraordinary 
work,  but  of  far  greater  expense  than  use  or  beauty. 
The  chimneys  of  the  house  appear  like  so  many 
towers.  About  the  whole  is  a  large  deep  moat. 
The  country  about  is  full  of  corn,  and  wine,  with 
many  fair  noblemen's  houses. 

We  arrived  at  Blois,  in  the  evening.  The  town 
is  hilly,  uneven,  and  rugged,  standing  on  the  side 
of  the  Loire,  having  suburbs  joined  by  a  stately 
stone  bridge,  on  which  is  a  pyramid  with  an  in- 
scription. At  the  entrance  of  the  castle  is  a  stone 
statue  of  Louis  XII.  on  horseback,  as  large  as  life, 
under  a  Gothic  state  ; "  and  a  little  below  are  these 
words  : 

Hie  iibi  natiis  erat  dextro  Ludovicus  Olympo, 
Sumpsit  honorata  regia  sceptra  manu  ; 

Felix  quae  tanti  fulsit  Lux  nuneia  Regis  ! 
Gallica  non  alio  principe  digna  fuit. 

Under  this  is  a  very  wide  pair  of  gates,  nailed 

^  [St.  Die,  a  village  Ij  mile  from  the  Chateau  de  Chambord, 
— the  Versailles  of  Touraine.] 

2  [He  was  born  in  the  Castle,  and  rebuilt  it.] 


108  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

full  of  wolves  and  wild-boars'  heads.  Behind  the 
castle*  the  present  Duke  Gaston  had  begun  a  fair 
building,  through  which  we  walked  into  a  large 
garden,  esteemed  for  its  furniture  one  of  the  fairest, 
especially  for  simples  and  exotic  plants,  in  which  he 
takes  extraordinary  delight.^  On  the  right  hand 
is  a  long  gallery  full  of  ancient  statues  and  inscrip- 
tions, both  of  marble  and  brass  ;  the  length,  300 
paces,  divides  the  garden  into  higher  and  lower 
ground,  having  a  very  noble  fountain.  There  is 
the  portrait  of  a  hart,  taken  in  the  forest  by  Louis 
XII.,  which  has  twenty-four  antlers  on  its  head. 
In  the  Collegiate  Church  of  St.  Saviour,  we  saw 
many  sepulchres  of  the  Earls  of  Blois. 

On  Sunday,  being  May-day,  we  walked  up  into 
Pall  Mall,  very  long,  and  so  noble  shaded  with  tall 
trees  (being  in  the  midst  of  a  great  wood),  that 
unless  that  of  Tours,  I  had  not  seen  a  statelier. 

From  hence,  we  proceeded  with  a  friend  of  mine 
through  the  adjoining  forest,  to  see  if  we  could 
meet  any  wolves,  which  are  here  in  such  numbers 
that  they  often  come  and  take  children  out  of  the 
very  streets;'  yet  will  not  the  Duke,  who  is 
sovereign  here,  permit  them  to  be  destroyed.  We 
walked  five  or  six  miles  outright ;  but  met  with 
none  ;  yet  a  gentleman,  who  was  resting  himself 
under  a  tree,  with  his  horse  grazing  by  him,  told  us 
that,  half  an  hour  before,  two  wolves  had  set  upon 
his  horse,  and  had  in  probability  devoured  him,  but 
for  a  dog  which  lay  by  him.     At  a  little  village  at 

^  [See  ante,  p.  97.  "  His  greatest  delight  was  in  his  garden, 
where  he  had  all  sorts  of  simples,  plants  and  trees  that  the 
climate  could  produce,  which  he  pleased  himself  with  studying 
the  names  and  virtues  of"  (Reresby's  Travels,  1831,  p.  25).] 

2  [Reresby  confinns  this,  thirteen  years  afterwards.  "They 
[the  wolves]  are  so  numerous  and  bold  in  cold  weather,  that  the 
winter  before  my  coming  thither,  a  herd  of  them  came  into  the 
street  and  devoured  a  young  child  "  {Ti-avels,  1831,  p.  26).  See 
also  ante,  p.  92.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  109 

the  end  of  this  wood,  we  eat  excellent  cream,  and 
visited  a  castle  builded  on  a  very  steep  cliff. 

Blois  is  a  town  where  the  language  is  exactly 
spoken  ;  ^  the  inhabitants  very  courteous  ;  the  air 
so  good,  that  it  is  the  ordinary  nursery  of  the  King's 
children.  The  people  are  so  ingenious,  that,  for 
goldsmith's  work  and  watches,  no  place  in  France 
affords  the  like.  The  pastures  by  the  river  are 
very  rich  and  pleasant. 

2nd  May.  We  took  boat  again,  passing  by 
Chaumont,^  a  proud  castle  on  the  left  hand  ;  before 
it  is  a  sweet  island,  deliciously  shaded  with  tall 
trees.  A  little  distance  from  hence,  we  went  on 
shore  at  Amboise,  a  very  agreeable  village,  built  of 
stone,  and  the  houses  covered  with  blue  slate,  as 
the  towns  on  the  Loire  generally  are ;  ^  but  the 
castle  chiefly  invited  us,  the  thickness  of  whose 
towers  from  the  river  to  the  top,  was  admirable. 
We  entered  by  the  drawbridge,  which  has  an 
invention  to  let  one  fall,  if  not  premonished.  It  is 
full  of  halls  and  spacious  chambers,  and  one  stair- 
case is  large  enough,  and  sufficiently  commodious, 
to  receive  a  coach,  and  land  it  on  the  very  tower, 
as  they  told  us  had  been  done.     There  is   some 

1  [For  which  reason  Mr.  Joseph  Addison,  some  fifty  years 
later,  spent  twelve  months  there  to  acquire  the  French  language 
at  its  best.  ^'The  place  where  I  am  at  present/' — he  wrote  to 
his  friend  Stanyan  in  February,  1 700, — "  by  reason  of  its  situation 
on  the  Loire  and  its  reputation  for  y^  Language,  is  very  much 
Infested  with  Fogs  and  German  Counts."  Pope,  it  may  be 
added,  touches  on  the  quality  of  the  Blois  French  ; — 

A  Frenchman  comes,  presents  you  with  his  Boy, 
Bows  and  begins — "  This  Lad,  Sir,  is  of  Blois.  .  .  . 
His  French  is  pure." 

Imitations  of  Horace^  Ep.  II.  Bk.  ii.  1.  3.] 

2  [The  birthplace  (1460)  of  Cardinal  George  d' Amboise  (see 
ante,  p.  93) ;  and  the  residence  of  Catherine  de  Medicis.] 

3  [Plus  que  le  raarbre  dur  me  plaist  Vordoisefine^ 
Phis  mon  Loyre  Gaulois  que  le  Tybre  Latin, — 

sings  Joachim  du  Bellay  in  his  Regrets,  1565.] 


110  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

artillery  in  it ;  but  that  which  is  most  observable 
is  in  the  ancient  chapel,  viz.  a  stag's  head,  or 
branches,  hung  up  by  chains,  consisting  of  twenty 
brow-antlers,  the  beam  bigger  than  a  man's  middle, 
and  of  an  incredible  length.  Indeed,  it  is  monstrous, 
and  yet  I  cannot  conceive  how  it  should  be  artificial : 
they  show  also  the  ribs  and  vertebrse  of  the  same 
beast ;  but  these  might  be  made  of  whalebone.^ 

Leaving  the  castle,  vv^e  passed  ]Mont  Louis,  a 
village  having  no  houses  above  ground,  but  such 
only  as  are  hewn  out  the  main  rocks  of  excellent 
freestone.  Here  and  there  the  funnel  of  a  chimney 
appears  on  the  surface  amongst  the  vineyards 
which  are  over  them,  and  in  this  manner  they 
inhabit  the  caves,  as  it  Vv'^ere  sea-clifFs,  on  one  side 
of  the  river  for  many  miles. 

We  now  came  within  sight  of  Tours,  where  we 
were  designed  for  the  rest  of  the  time  I  had  re- 
solved to  stay  in  France,  the  sojournment  being  so 
agreeable.  Tours  is  situate  on  the  easy  side  of  a 
hill  on  the  river  Loire,  having  a  fair  bridge  of  stone 
called  St.  Edme  ;  the  streets  are  very  long,  straight, 
spacious,  well-built,  and  exceeding  clean;  the 
suburbs  large  and  pleasant,  joined  to  the  city  by 
another  bridge.  Both  the  church  and  monastery 
of  St.  Martin  are  large,  of  Gothic  building,  having 
four  square  towers,  fair  organs,  and  a  stately  altar, 
where  they  show  the  bones  and  ashes  of  St.  jilartin, 
with  other  relics.  The  JNIall  without  comparison 
is  the  noblest  in  Europe  for  length  and  shade,- 
having  seven  rows  of  the  tallest  and  goodliest  elms 
I  had  ever  beheld,  the  innermost  of  which  do  so 

^  [Reresby,  who  duly  mentions  the  winding  staircase,  adds  : 
"  In  the  chapel  we  saw  the  horns  of  a  stag,  of  an  incredible 
bigness,  which  they  tell  you  swam  from  the  sea,  and  came  out 
of  England  ;  as  also  the  neck-bone  and  one  of  his  ribs,  of  five 
cubits  and  a  half  long  "  (Travels  [in  16*56],  1831,  p.  26).] 

-  [Reresby  calls  it ''  the  longest  pell  mell  in  France  "'  (Travels-, 
1831,  p.  26).      See  ante,  p.  108"] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  111 

embrace  each  other,  and  at  such  a  height,  that 
nothmg  can  be  more  solemn  and  majestical.  Here 
we  played  a  party,  or  party  or  two,  and  then 
walked  about  the  town-walls,  built  of  square  stone, 
filled  with  earth,  and  having  a  moat.  No  city  in 
France  exceeds  it  in  beauty,  or  delight. 

Qth  31ay,  We  went  to  St.  Gatien,  reported  to 
have  been  built  by  our  countrymen  ;  the  dial  and 
clock-work  are  much  esteemed.  The  church  has 
two  handsome  towers  and  spires  of  stone,  and  the 
whole  fabric  is  very  noble  and  venerable.  To  this 
joins  the  Palace  of  the  Archbishop,  consisting  both 
of  old  and  new  building,  with  many  fair  rooms,  and 
a  fair  garden.  Here  1  grew  acquainted  with  one 
Monsieur  Merey,  a  very  good  musician.  The 
Archbishop  treated  me  very  courteously.  We 
visited  divers  other  churches,  chapels,  and  mon- 
asteries, for  the  most  part  neatly  built,  and  full  of 
pretty  paintings,  especially  the  Convent  of  the 
Capuchins,  which  has  a  prospect  over  the  whole 
city,  and  many  fair  walks. 

^th,  I  went  to  see  their  manufactures  in  silk 
(for  in  this  town  they  drive  a  very  considerable 
trade  with  silk-worms),  their  pressing  and  watering 
the  grograms^  and  camlets,*^  with  weights  of  an 
extraordinary  poise,  put  into  a  rolling -engine. 
Here  I  took  a  master  of  the  language,  and  studied 
the  tongue  very  diligently,^  recreating  myself  some- 
times at  the  mall,  and  sometimes  about  the  town. 
The  house  opposite  my  lodging  had  been  formerly 
a  king's  palace ;  the  outside  was  totally  covered 
with  fleur-de-lis,  embossed  out  of  the  stone.  Here 
Marie  de  Medicis  held  her  Court,  when  she  was 

^     A  cloth  made  with  silk  and  mohair  (Old  Fr.,  gnhs-grahi).^ 
^    A  stuff  made  of  the  hair  of  the  Angora  goat.] 
2  ["  His  [the  foreign  traveller's]  first  study  shall  be  to  master 
the  tongue  of  the  countiy  .   .   .  which  ought  to  be  understood 
perfectly,  written  congruously,  and  spoken  intelligently"  (Preface 
to  Evelyn's  Slate  of  Frcuice,  MisceUaueous  Writings,  18!25,  p.  45).] 


112  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

compelled  to  retire  from  Paris  by  the  persecution 
of  the  great  Cardinal. 

25th  3fay,  Was  the  Fete  Dieu,  and  a  goodly 
procession  of  all  the  religious  orders,  the  whole 
streets  hung  with  their  best  tapestries,  and  their 
most  precious  movables  exposed  ;  silks,  damasks, 
velvets,  plate,  and  pictures  in  abundance ;  the 
streets  strewed  with  flowers,  and  full  of  pageantry, 
banners,  and  bravery. 

6t/i  June,  I  went  by  water  to  visit  that  goodly 
and  venerable  Abbey  of  JNIarmoutiers,  being  one 
of  the  greatest  in  the  kingdom :  to  it  is  a  very 
ample  church  of  stone,  with  a  very  high  pyramid. 
Amongst  other  relics  the  Monks  showed  us  is  the 
Holy  Ampoule,^  the  same  with  that  which  sacres 
their  Kings  at  Rheims,  this  being  the  one  that 
anointed  Henry  IV.  Ascending  many  steps,  we 
went  into  the  Abbot's  Palace,  where  we  were 
showed  a  vast  tun  (as  big  as  that  at  Heidelberg), 
which  they  report  St.  Martin  (as  I  remember) 
filled  from  one  cluster  of  grapes  growing  there. 

7tk.  We  walked  about  two  miles  from  the 
city  to  an  agreeable  solitude,  called  Du  Plessis,^  a 
house  belonging  to  the  King.  It  has  many  pretty 
gardens,  full  of  nightingales  :  and,  in  the  chapel, 
lies  buried  the  famous  poet,  Ronsard.^ 

Returning,  we  stepped  into  a  Convent  of 
Franciscans,  called  St.  Cosmo,  where  the  cloister 

1  ["  A  cruise  of  oil,  or  la  sai?it[e]  ampoule,  which  they  say 
St.  Martin  received  from  heaven  by  an  Angel  (having  broken 
one  of  his  ribs)  and  by  applying  it  found  present  cure " 
(Reresby's  Travels,  1831,  p.  27).  It  was  publicly  destroyed  at 
Rheims  in  17.93.  Reresby  also  mentions  the  Tun  "as  big  as 
a  little  room."  The  Abbey  of  Marmoutiers  {inajiis  monasteriuni) 
was  on  the  right  bank  of  the  Loire.] 

2  [The  chateau  of  Plessis-lez-Tours,  familiar  in  ch.  iii.  of 
Quaitin  Durward.  It  was  built  by  Louis  XL,  who  died  there  in 
1483.      Nothing  but  ruins  now  remain.] 

2  [Pierre  de  Roussard,  called  Ronsard,  1524-85.  He  had  a 
living  at  S.  Come-les-Tours.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  113 

is  painted  witli  the  miracles  of  their  St.  Francis  a 
Paula,  whose  ashes  lie  in  their  chapel,  with  this 
inscription  :  "  Corpus  Sancti  Fran,  a  Paula  1507. 
13  April  is.  concrematur  vero  ab  H^Breticis  anno 
1562,  cujus  quidem  ossa  et  cineres  h\c  jacent." 
The  tomb  has  four  small  pyramids  of  marble  at 
each  corner. 

'dth  June,  I  was  invited  to  a  vineyard,  which 
was  so  artificially  planted  and  supported  with  arched 
poles,  that  stooping  down  one  might  see  from  end 
to  end,  a  very  great  length,  under  the  vines,  the 
bunches  hanging  down  in  abundance. 

20M.  We  took  horse  to  see  certain  natural 
caves,  called  Gouttieres,  near  Colombiere,  where 
there  is  a  spring  within  the  bowels  of  the  earth, 
very  deep  and  so  excessive  cold,  that  the  drops 
meeting  with  some  lapidescent  matter,  it  converts 
them  into  a  hard  stone,  which  hangs  about  it  like 
icicles,  having  many  others  in  the  form  of  corifitures 
and  sugar-plums,  as  we  call  them. 

Near  this,  we  went  under  the  ground  almost 
two  furlongs,  lighted  with  candles,  to  see  the 
source  and  spring  which  serves  the  whole  city,  by 
a  passage  cut  through  the  main  rock  of  freestone. 

28M.  I  went  to  see  the  palace  and  gardens  of 
Chevereux,  a  sweet  place. 

SOtL  I  walked  through  the  vineyards  as  far 
as  Roche  Corbon,  to  the  ruins  of  an  old  and  very 
strong  castle,  said  to  have  been  built  by  the 
English,  of  great  height,  on  the  precipice  of  a 
dreadful  cliff,  from  whence  the  country  and  river 
yield  a  most  incomparable  prospect. 

21th  July,  I  heard  excellent  music  at  the 
Jesuits,  who  have  here  a  school  and  convent, 
but  a  mean  chapel.  We  have  now  store  of  those 
admirable  melons,  so  much  celebrated  in  France 
for  the  best  in  the  kingdom. 

\st  August,    My  valet,  one  Garro,  a  Spaniard, 

VOL.  I  I 


114  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

born  in  Biscay,  having  misbehaved,  I  was  forced 
to  discharge  him  ;  he  demanded  of  me  (besides  his 
wages)  no  less  than  100  crowns  to  carry  him  to 
his  country ;  refusing  to  pay  it,  as  no  part  of  our 
agreement,  he  had  the  impudence  to  arrest  me ; 
the  next  day  I  was  to  appear  in  Court,  where  both 
our  avocats  pleaded  before  the  Lieutenant  Civil ; 
but  it  was  so  unreasonable  a  pretence,  that  the 
Judge  had  not  patience  to  hear  it  out.  The 
Judge  immediately  acquitting  me,  after  he  had 
reproached  the  avocat  who  took  part  with  my 
servant,  he  rose  from  the  Bench,  and  making  a 
courteous  excuse  to  me,  that  being  a  stranger  I 
should  be  so  used,  he  conducted  me  through  the 
court  to  the  street-door.  This  varlet  afterwards 
threatened  to  pistol  me.  The  next  day,  I  waited 
on  the  I^ieutenant,  to  thank  him  for  his  great 
civility. 

18^  August,  The  Queen  of  England  ^  came  to 
Tours,  having  newly  arrived  in  France,  and  going  for 
Paris.  She  was  very  nobly  received  by  the  people 
and  clergy,  who  went  to  meet  her  with  the  trained 
bands.  After  the  harangue,  the  Archbishop  enter- 
tained her  at  his  Palace,  where  I  paid  my  duty 
to  her.     The  20th  she  set  forward  to  Paris. 

8^/^  September,  Two  of  my  kinsmen  came  from 
Paris  to  this  place,  where  I  settled  them  in  their 
pension  and  exercises. 

l^tli.  We  took  post  for  Richelieu,  passing  by 
ITsle  Bouchard,  a  village  in  the  way."     The  next 

1  [Henrietta  Maria.  Siie  had  left  Exeter  sliortly  after  the 
birth  (l6th  June)  of  her  )'oungest  child,  the  Princess  Henrietta, 
or  Henriette-Anne,  afterwards  Duchess  of  Orleans.  Contriving 
to  elude  the  Parliamentary  forces,  she  had  embarked  on  the 
14th  July  for  France  in  a  Dutch  vessel,  landing  near  Brest  on 
the  l6th.  The  infant  princess  remained  at  Exeter  in  the  charge 
of  Lady  Dalkeith.] 

-  [On  the  Vienne,  a  tributary  of  the  Loire.  Richelieu  lies 
to  the  S.E.  of  it.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  115 

day,  we  arrived,  and  went  to  see  the  Cardinal's 
Palace,  near  it.  The  town  is  built  in  a  low, 
marshy  ground,  having  a  narrow  river  cut  by  hand, 
very  even  and  straight,  capable  of  bringing  up  a 
small  vessel.  It  consists  of  only  one  considerable 
street,  the  houses  on  both  sides  (as  indeed  through- 
out the  town)  built  exactly  uniform,  after  a  modern 
handsome  design.  It  has  a  large  goodly  market- 
house  and  place,  opposite  to  which  is  the  church 
built  of  freestone,  having  two  pyramids  of  stone, 
which  stand  hollow  from  the  towers.  The  church 
is  well-built,  and  of  a  well-ordered  architecture, 
within  handsomely  paved  and  adorned.  To  this 
place  belongs  an  academy,  where,  besides  the 
exercise  of  the  horse,  arms,  dancing,  etc.,  all  the 
sciences  are  taught  in  the  vulgar  French  by  pro- 
fessors stipendiated  by  the  great  Cardinal,  who  by 
this,  the  cheap  living  there,  and  divers  privileges, 
not  only  designed  the  improvement  of  the  vulgar 
language,  but  to  draw  people  and  strangers  to  the 
town ;  but  since  the  Cardinal's  death,^  it  is  thinly 
inhabited ;  standing  so  much  out  of  the  way,  and 
in  a  place  not  well  situated  for  health,  or  pleasure. 
He  was  allured  to  build  by  the  name  of  the  place, 
and  an  old  house  there  belonging  to  his  ancestors. 
This  pretty  town  is  handsomely  walled  about  and 
moated,  with  a  kind  of  slight  fortification,  two  fair 
gates  and  drawbridges.  Before  the  gate,  towards 
the  palace,  is  a  spacious  circle,  where  the  fair  is 
annually  kept.  About  a  flight-shot  from  the  town 
is  the  Cardinal's  house,  a  princely  pile,  though  on 
an  old  design,  not  altogether  Gothic,  but  mixed, 
and  environed  by  a  clear  moat.  The  rooms  are 
stately,  most  richly  furnished  with  tissue,  damask, 
arras,  and  velvet,  pictures,  statues,  vases,  and  all 
sorts  of  antiquities,  especially  the  Caesars,  in 
oriental  alabaster.      The   long   gallery  is   painted 

1  [See  ante,  p.  74.] 


116  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

with  the  famous  acts  of  tlie  founder;  the  roof 
with  the  Ufe  of  JuUus  Caesar ;  at  the  end  of  it  is 
a  cupola,  or  singing  theatre,  supported  by  very 
stately  pillars  of  black  marble.  The  chapel 
anciently  belonged  to  the  family  of  the  founder. 
The  court  is  very  ample.  The  gardens  without 
are  very  large,  and  the  parterres  of  excellent 
embroidery,  set  with  many  statues  of  brass  and 
marble ;  the  groves,  meadows,  and  walks  are  a  real 
Paradise. 

16//^  September.  We  returned  to  Tours,  from 
whence,  after  nineteen  weeks'  sojourn,  we  travelled 
towards  the  more  southern  part  of  France,  minding 
now  to  shape  my  course  so,  as  I  might  winter  in 
Italy.  With  my  friend,  Mr.  Thicknesse,^  and  our 
guide,  we  went  the  first  day  seven  leagues  to  a 
castle  called  Chenonceaux,^  built  by  Catherine  de 
Medicis,  and  now  belonging  to  the  Duke  de 
Vendome,  standing  on  a  bridge.  In  the  gallery, 
amongst  divers  other  excellent  statues,  is  that  of 
Scipio  Africanus,  of  oriental  alabaster. 

21^/.  We  passed  by  Villefranche,  where  we 
dined,  and  so  by  Mennetou,  lying  at  Viaron-au- 
mouton  [?Vierzon],  which  was  twenty  leagues. 
The  next  day  by  Murg  to  Bourges,  four  leagues, 
where  we  spent  the  day.  This  is  the  capital 
of  Berry,  an  University  much  frequented  by  the 
Dutch,  situated  on  the  river  Eure.  It  stands 
high,  is  strong,  and  well  placed  for  defence ; 
is  environed  with  meadows  and  vines,  and  the 
living  here  is  very  cheap.  In  the  suburbs  of  St. 
Prive,  there  is  a  fountain  of  sharp  water  which 


^   [See  ante,  p.  14.] 


[Chenonceaux  has  also  memories  of  Diane  de  Poitiers  and 
Louise  de  Lorraine,  widow  of  Henry  11 L  It  escaped  the 
Revolution,  owing  chiefly  to  the  respect  felt  for  the  proprietress, 
Mme.  Dupin,  d.  1799,  who  here  entertained  Bolingbroke, 
Voltaire,  and  Rousseau.  The  Devin  du  J'illagc  of  the  last  was 
first  performed  in  its  little  theatre.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  117 

they  report  wholesome  against  the  stone.  They 
showed  us  a  vast  tree  which  they  say  stands  in 
the  centre  of  France.^  The  French  tongue  is 
spoken  with  great  purity  in  this  ])lace.  St. 
Stephen's  church  is  the  cathedral,  well-built  a  la 
Gothique,  full  of  sepulchres  without-side,  with  the 
representation  of  the  final  Judgment  over  one  of 
the  ports."  Here  they  show  the  chapel  of  Claude 
de  la  Chastre,  a  famous  soldier,  who  had  served 
six  kings  of  France  in  their  wars.  St.  Chapelle 
is  built  much  like  that  at  Paris,  full  of  relics,  and 
containing  the  bones  of  one  Briat,  a  giant  of 
fifteen  cubits  high.  It  was  erected  by  John  Duke 
of  Berrv,  and  there  is  showed  the  coronet  of  the 
dukedom.  The  great  tower  is  a  pharos  for 
defence  of  the  town,  very  strong,  in  thickness 
eighteen  feet,  fortified  with  graffs  and  works ; 
there  is  a  garrison  in  it,  and  a  strange  engine  for 
throwing  great  stones,  and  the  iron  cage  where 
Louis,  Duke  of  Orleans,  was  kept  by  Charles  VIII. 
Near  the  Town-house  stands  the  College  of  Jesuits, 
where  was  heretofore  an  Amphitheatre.  I  was 
courteously  entertained  by  a  Jesuit,  who  had  us 
into  the  garden,  where  we  fell  into  disputation. 
The  house  of  Jacques  Coeur  is  worth  seeing.^ 
Bourges  is  an  Archbishopric,  and  Primacy  of 
Aquitaine.  I  took  my  leave  of  Mr.  Nicholas,* 
and  some  other  English  there ;  and,  on  the  23rd, 
proceeded  on  my  journey  by  Pont  du  Charge ; 
and  lay  that  evening  at  Couleuvre,  thirteen  leagues. 
2Mh  September.  By  Franchesse,  St.  Menoux, 
thence  to  Moulins,  where  we  dined.  This  is  the 
chief  town  of  the  Bourbonnais,  on  the  river  Allier, 
very  navigable.     The  streets  are  fair ;  the  Castle 

^  Bourges  is  said  to  be  in  the  centre  of  France.] 

-  The  central  door  in  the  W.  fa9ade.] 

^  Afterwards  the  Hotel  de  Ville.] 

•*  [See  ante,  p.  104.] 


118  THE  DIARY  OF  uu 

has  a  noble  prospect,  and  has  been  the  seat  of  the 
Dukes.  Here  is  a  pretty  park  and  garden.  After 
dinner,  came  many  who  offered  knives  and  scissors 
to  sell ;  it  being  a  to^vn  famous  for  these  trifles. 
This  Duchy  of  Bourbon  is  ordinarily  assigned  for 
the  dowry  of  the  Queens  of  France. 

Hence,  we  took  horse  for  Varennes,  an  obscure 
village,^  where  we  lay  that  night.  The  next  day, 
we  went  somewhat  out  of  the  way  to  see  the  town 
of  Bourbon  I'Archambault,  from  whose  ancient  and 
rugged  castle  is  derived  the  name  of  the  present 
Royal  Family  of  France.  The  castle  stands  on  a 
flinty  rock,  overlooking  the  town.  In  the  midst  of 
the  streets  are  some  baths  of  medicinal  waters, 
some  of  them  excessive  hot,  but  nothing  so  neatly 
walled  and  adorned  as  ours  in  Somersetshire  ;  and 
indeed  they  are  chiefly  used  to  drink  of,  our  Queen 
being  then  lodged  there  for  that  purpose.^  After 
dinner,  I  went  to  see  the  St.  Chapelle,  a  prime  place 
of  devotion,  where  is  kept  one  of  the  thorns  of  our 
Saviour's  crown,  and  a  piece  of  the  real  cross ; 
excellent  paintings  on  glass,  and  some  few  statues 
of  stone  and  wood,  which  they  show  for  curiosities. 
Hence,  we  went  forward  to  La  Palisse,  a  village 
that  lodged  us  that  night. 

26fh  Se2)teviber,  We  arrived  at  Roanne,  where 
we  quitted  our  guide,  and  took  post  for  Lyons. 
Roanne  seemed  to  me  one  of  the  pleasantest  and 

^  The  ^^  obscure  village"  to  which  Evelyn  refers,  was  destined 
to  have  a  more  memorable  association,  in  later  years,  with  the 
French  Royal  Family. 

"  [Henrietta  Maria  (see  ante,  p.  114).  She  passed  some  three 
months  at  Bourbon,  "  arriving-  there  in  so  crippled  a  condition 
that  she  could  not  walk  without  being  supported  on  either  side, 
and  so  weakened  in  nerves  that  she  was  almost  always  in  tears." 
At  the  conclusion  of  the  treatment  she  began  "to  hope  she 
should  not  die  "  {Life  of  Henrietta  Maria,  by  Miss  I.  A.  Taylor, 
1905,  ii.  ,'ni).  James  II.  also  came  to  Bourbon  shortly  before  his 
death.  But  the  visitor  most  associated  with  the  place  is  Mme.  de 
Montespan.] 


1644  JOHN  EVP:I.YN  119 

most  agreeable  places  imaginable,  for  a  retired  per- 
son ;  for,  besides  the  situation  on  the  Loire,  there  are 
excellent  provisions  cheap  and  abundant.  It  being 
late  when  we  left  this  town,  we  rode  no  farther  than 
Tarare  that  night  (passing  St.  Symphorien  ^),  a  little 
desolate  village  in  a  valley  near  a  pleasant  stream, 
encompassed  with  fresh  meadows  and  vineyards. 
The  hills  which  we  rode  over  before  we  descended, 
and  afterwards,  on  the  Lyons  side  of  this  place,  are 
high  and  mountainous ;  fir  and  pines  growing  fre- 
quently on  them.  The  air  methought  was  much 
altered  as  well  as  the  manner  of  the  houses,  which 
are  built  flatter,  more  after  the  eastern  manner. 
Before  I  went  to  bed,  I  took  a  landscape "  of  this 
pleasant  terrace.  There  followed  a  most  violent 
tempest  of  thunder  and  lightning. 

27M  September,  We  rode  by  Pont  Charu  to 
Lyons,  which  being  but  six  leagues  we  soon  accom- 
plished, having  made  eighty-five  leagues  from  Tours 
in  seven  days.  Here,  at  the  Golden  Lion,  rue  de 
Flandre,  I  met  divers  of  my  acquaintance,  who, 
coming  from  Paris,  were  designed  for  Italy.  We 
lost  no  time  in  seeing  the  city,  because  of  being 
ready  to  accompany  these  gentlemen  in  their 
journey.  Lyons  is  excellently  situated  on  the 
confluence  of  the  rivers  Saone  and  Rhone,  which 
wash  the  walls  of  the  city  in  a  very  rapid  stream ; 
each  of  these  has  its  bridge ;  that  over  the  Rhone 
consists  of  twenty-eight  arches.  The  two  high 
cliff*s,  called  St.  Just  and  St.  Sebastian,  are  very 
stately ;  on  one  of  them  stands  a  strong  fort, 
garrisoned.  We  visited  the  cathedral,  St.  Jean, 
where  was  one  of  the  fairest  clocks  for  art  and 
busy  invention  I  had  ever  seen.'^     The  fabric  of  the 

1  [St.-Symphorien-de-Lay,  where  the  ascent  of  the  Montague 
de  Tarare  begins.] 

2  [Cf.  post,  p.  121.] 

3  By  Nicholas   Lippeus  of  Basle,    1508,  much   like   that  of 
Strasburg.] 


120  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

church  is  Gothic,  as  are  Hkewise  those  of  St.  Etienne 
and  St.  Croix.  From  the  top  of  one  of  the  towers 
of  St.  Jean  (for  it  has  four)  we  beheld  the  whole 
city  and  country,  with  a  prospect  reaching  to  the 
Alps,  many  leagues  distant.  The  Archbishop's 
Palace  is  fairly  built.  The  church  of  St.  Nizier  is 
the  greatest ;  that  of  the  Jacobins  is  well  built. 
Here  are  divers  other  fine  churches  and  very  noble 
buildings  we  had  not  time  to  visit,  only  that  of  the 
Charite,  or  great  hospital  for  poor  infirm  people,  en- 
tertaining about  1500  souls,  with  a  school,  granary, 
gardens,  and  all  conveniences,  maintained  at  a 
wonderful  expense,  worthy  seeing.  The  place  of 
the  Belle  Cour  is  very  spacious,  observable  for  the 
view  it  affords,  so  various  and  agreeable,  of  hills, 
rocks,  vineyards,  gardens,  precipices,  and  other 
extravagant  and  incomparable  advantages,  pre- 
senting themselves  together.  The  Pall  INIall  is  set 
with  fair  trees.  In  fine,  this  stately,  clean,  and  noble 
city,  built  all  of  stone,  abounds  in  persons  of  quality 
and  rich  merchants :  those  of  Florence  obtaining 
great  privileges  above  the  rest.  In  the  Town-house, 
they  show  two  tables  of  brass,  on  which  is  en- 
graven Claudius's  speech  pronounced  to  the  Senate,^ 
concerning  the  franchising  of  the  town,  with  the 
Roman  privileges.  There  are  also  other  antiquities. 
SOth  September,  We  bargained  with  a  waterman 
to  carry  us  to  Avignon  on  the  river,  and  got  the 
first  night  to  Vienne,  in  Dauphine.  This  is  an 
Archbishopric,  and  the  province  gives  title  to  the 
Heir-apparent  of  France.^    Here  we  supped  and  lay, 

^  [When  Censor,  a.d.  48.  Claudius  was  born  at  Lyons.  The 
Bronze  Tables  were  discovered  in  1528,  on  the  heights  of  St. 
Sebastian.] 

'^  ["  The  eldest  son  of  France  is,  during  the  life  of  his  father, 
called  the  Dauphin,  from  the  sti])ulation  (as  it  seems)  made  with 
Umbert :  who  bequeathed  that  province  [Dauphine]  condition- 
ally to  Philip  de  Valois  "  (Evelyn's  State  of  France,  Miscellaneous 
IVritings,  1825,  p.  54-).] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  121 

having  amongst  other  dainties,  a  dish  of  truffles, 
which  is  a  certain  earth-nut,  found  out  by  a  hog 
trained  to  it,  and  for  which  those  animals  are  sold 
at  a  great  price.  It  is  in  truth  an  incomparable 
meat.  We  were  showed  the  ruins  of  an  amphi- 
theatre, pretty  entire  ;  ^  and  many  handsome  palaces, 
especially  that  of  Pontius  Pilate,-  not  far  from  the 
town,  at  the  foot  of  a  solitary  mountain,  near  the 
river,  having  four  pinnacles.  Here  it  is  reported 
he  passed  his  exile,  and  precipitated  himself  into 
the  lake  not  far  from  it.  The  house  is  modern,  and 
seems  to  be  the  seat  of  some  gentleman  ;  being  in 
a  very  pleasant,  though  melancholy  place.  The 
cathedral  of  Vienne  is  St.  JMaurice ;  and  there  are 
many  other  pretty  buildings,  but  nothing  more  so, 
than  the  mills  where  they  hammer  and  polish  the 
sword-blades. 

Hence,  the  next  morning  we  swam  (for  the  river 
here  is  so  rapid  that  the  boat  was  only  steered)  to 
a  small  village  called  Tain,  where  we  dined.  Over 
against  this  is  another  town,  named  Tournon,  where 
is  a  very  strong  castle  under  a  high  precipice.  To 
the  castle  joins  the  Jesuits'  College,  who  have  a  fair 
library.^  The  prospect  was  so  tempting,  that  1 
could  not  forbear  designing  it  with  my  crayon.^ 

We  then  came  to  Valence,  a  capital  city  carrying 
the  title  of  a  Duchy ;  but  the  Bishop  is  now  sole 
I^ord  temporal  of  it,  and  the  country  about  it. 
The  town  having  a  University  famous  for  the  study 
of  the  civil  law,  is  much  frequented ;  but  the 
churches  are  none  of  the  fairest,  having  been  greatly 
defaced  in  the  time  of  the  wars.     The  streets  are 

1  [On  the  slopes  of  Mont  Pipet.] 

-  The  Castle  of  Salomon.  According  to  Eusebius  and  others, 
Pilate  was  banished  to  Vienne,  after  his  return  to  Rome  from 
Judaea]. 

^  [Founded  by  the  favourite  of  Francis  I.,  the  Cardinal  de 
Toumon,  in  1542.      It  was  later  an  Ecole  Militaire.] 

4  [See  ante,  p.  119.] 


122  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

full  of  pretty  fountains.  The  citadel  is  strong  and 
garrisoned.  Here  we  passed  the  night,  and  the 
next  morning  by  Pont  St.  Esprit,  which  consists 
of  twenty-two  arches ;  in  the  piers  of  the  arches 
are  windows,  as  it  were,  to  receive  the  water  when 
it  is  high  and  full.  Here  we  went  on  shore, 
it  being  very  dangerous  to  pass  the  bridge  in  a 
boat. 

Hence,  leaving  our  barge,  we  took  horse,  seeing 
at  a  distance  the  town  and  principality  of  Orange  ; 
and,  lodging  one  night  on  the  way,  we  arrived  at  noon 
at  Avignon.  This  town  has  belonged  to  the  Popes 
ever  since  the  time  of  Clement  V.;  being,  in  1352,^ 
alienated  by  Jane,  Queen  of  Naples  and  Sicily. 
Entering  the  gates,  the  soldiers  at  the  guard  took 
our  pistols  and  carbines,  and  examined  us  very 
strictly  ;  after  that,  having  obtained  the  Governor's 
and  the  Vice- Legate's  leave  to  tarry  three  days,  we 
were  civilly  conducted  to  our  lodging.  The  city  is 
on  the  Rhone,  and  divided  from  the  newer  part,  or 
town,  which  is  on  the  other  side  of  the  river,  by  a 
very  fair  stone  bridge  (which  has  been  broken) ;  at 
one  end  is  a  very  high  rock,  on  which  is  a  strong 
castle  well  furnished  with  artillery.  The  walls  of 
the  city  are  of  large  square  freestone,  the  most 
neat  and  best  in  repair  I  ever  saw.  It  is  full  of 
well-built  palaces ;  those  of  the  Vice-Legate  and 
Archbishop  being  the  most  magnificent.  There  are 
many  sumptuous  churches,  especially  that  of  St. 
Magdalene  and  St.  JNIartial,  wherein  the  tomb  of 
the  Cardinal  d'Amboise  is  the  most  observable. 
Clement  VI.  lies  buried  in  that  of  the  Celestines, 
the  altar  whereof  is  exceeding  rich  :  but  for  nothing 
I  more  admired  it  than  the  tomb  of  JNIadonna  Laura, 
the  celebrated  mistress  of  Petrarch."     We  saw  the 

1  [In  l.'34.8.] 

-  In  the  Church  of  the  CordeUei*s^  destroyed  in  the  Revolution. 
It  was  then,  says   Arthur  Young  (^Travels,  etc.,   1792,  i.    173), 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  123 


Arsenal,  tlie  Pope's  l^ilace,  and  the  Synagogue  of 
the  Jews,  who  here  are  distinguished  by  their  red 
hats.  Vaucluse,  so  much  renowned  for  the  soUtude 
of  Petrarch,  we  beheld  from  the  castle ;  but  could 
not  go  to  visit  it  for  want  of  time,  being  now  taking 
mules  and  a  guide  for  Marseilles. 

We  lay  at  Loumas ;  the  next  mornhig,  came 
to  Aix,  having  passed  that  extremely  rapid  and 
dangerous  river  of  Durance.  In  this  tract,  all  the 
heaths,  or  commons,  are  covered  with  rosemary, 
lavender,  lentiscus,  and  the  like  sweet  shrubs,  for 
many  miles  together  ;  which  to  me  was  very  pleasant. 
Aix  is  the  chief  city  of  Provence,  being  a  Parliament 
and  Presidential  town,  with  other  royal  Courts  and 
Metropolitan  jurisdiction.  It  is  well  built,  the 
houses  very  high,  and  the  streets  ample.  The 
Cathedral,  St.  Saviour's,  is  a  noble  pile  adorned 
with  innumerable  figures ;  especially  that  of  St. 
Michael ;  the  Baptisterie,  the  Palace,  the  Court, 
built  in  a  most  spacious  piazza,  are  very  fair.  The 
Duke  of  Guise's  house  is  worth  seeing,  being 
furnished  with  many  antiquities  in  and  about  it. 
The  Jesuits  have  here  a  royal  College,  and  the  City 
is  a  University. 

1th  October,  We  had  a  most  delicious  journey 
to  Marseilles,  through  a  country  sweetly  declining 
to  the  south  and  Mediterranean  coasts,  full  of  vine- 

"  nothing  but  a  stone  in  the  pavement,  with  a  figure  engraven  on 
it  partly  effaced,  surrounded  by  an  inscription  in  Gothic  letters, 
and  another  in  the  wall  adjoining,  with  the  armorial  of  the 
family  De  Sade  " — to  which  Laura  belonged.  The  last  remains 
of  Laura  were  taken  to  the  Bibliotheque  Nationale  in  17.93 — says 
Mr.  Augustus  Hare — and  have  been  lost.  But  he  quotes  a 
charming  quatrain,  either  by  Francis  L  or  Clement  Marot,  which 
was  added  when  the  tomb  was  opened  in  1533  : — 

0  gentille  dmsy  estant  tant  entim^.e^ 
Qui  te  ])ourra  loiier  quen  se  tahant  ? 
Car  la  parole  est  toujours  r^primie 
Quand  le  sujet  inirmonte  le  disant. 

'South-Eastern  France,  1890,  p.  368.1 


124  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

yards  and  olive-yards,  orange  trees,  myrtles,  pome- 
granates, and  the  like  sweet  plantations,  to  which 
belong  pleasantly-situated  villas,^  to  the  number  of 
above  1500,  built  all  of  freestone,  and  in  prospect 
showing  as  if  they  were  so  many  heaps  of  snow 
dropped  out  of  the  clouds  amongst  those  perennial 
greens.  It  was  almost  at  the  shutting  of  the  gates 
that  we  arrived.  Marseilles  is  on  the  sea-coast,  on 
a  pleasant  rising  ground,  well-walled,  with  an  ex- 
cellent port  for  ships  and  galleys,  secured  by  a  huge 
chain  of  iron  dravvn  across  the  liarbour  at  pleasure ; 
and  there  is  a  well-fortified  tower  with  three  other 
forts,  especially  that  built  on  a  rock  ;  '^  but  the 
castle  commanding  the  city  is  that  of  Notre  Dame 
de  la  Garde. ^  In  the  chapel  hung  up  divers  croco- 
diles' skins. 

We  went  then  to  visit  the  galleys,  being  about 
twenty-five  in  number  ;  the  capitaine  of  the  Galley 
Royal  gave  us  most  courteous  entertainment  in  his 
cabin,  the  slaves  in  the  interim  playing  both  loud 
and  soft  music  very  rarely.  Then  he  showed  us 
how  he  commanded  their  motions  with  a  nod,  and 
his  whistle  making  them  row  out.  The  spectacle 
was  to  me  new  and  strange,  to  see  so  many  hundreds 
of  miserably  naked  persons,  their  heads  being 
shaven  close,  and  having  only  high  red  bonnets,  a 
pair  of  coarse  canvas  drawers,  their  whole  backs 
and  legs  naked,  doubly  chained  about  their  middle 
and  legs,  in  couples,  and  made  fast  to  their  seats, 
and  all  commanded  in  a  trice  by  an  imperious  and 
cruel  seaman.  One  Turk  amongst  the  rest  he 
much  favoured,  who  waited  on  him  in  his  cabin, 
but  with  no  other  dress  than  the  rest,  and  a  chain 
locked  about  his  leg,  but  not  coupled.     This  galley 

The  bastides  or  coiintrv-hoiises  of  Provence.] 

Fort  St.  Nicolas.] 

The  church  of    Notre   Dame  de  La  Ciarde  was  rebuilt  in 

on  the  site  of  a  former  chapel  of  1^14.] 


1864. 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  125 


was  richly  carved  and  gilded,  and  most  of  the  rest 
were  very  beautiful.  After  bestowing  something 
on  the  slaves,  tlie  capitaine  sent  a  band  of  them  to 
give  us  music  at  dinner  where  we  lodged.  I  was 
amazed  to  contemplate  how  these  miserable  caitiffs 
lie  in  their  galley  crowded  together ;  yet  there  was 
hardly  one  but  had  some  occupation,  by  which,  as 
leisure  and  calms  permitted,  they  got  some  little 
money,  insomuch  as  some  of  them  have,  after 
many  years  of  cruel  servitude,  been  able  to  pur- 
chase their  liberty.  The  rising-forward  and  falling- 
back  at  their  oar,  is  a  miserable  spectacle,  and  the 
noise  of  their  chains,  with  the  roaring  of  the 
beaten  waters,  has  something  of  strange  and  fearful 
in  it  to  one  unaccustomed  to  it.  They  are  ruled 
and  chastised  by  strokes  on  their  backs  and  soles  of 
their  feet,  on  the  least  disorder,  and  without  the 
least  humanity,  yet  are  they  cheerful  and  full  of 
knavery. 

After  dinner,  we  saw  the  church  of  St.  Victor, 
where  is  that  saint's  head  in  a  shrine  of  silver, 
which  weighs  600  pounds.  Thence  to  Notre 
Dame,  exceedingly  well  -  built,  which  is  the 
cathedral.  Thence  to  the  Duke  of  Guise's  Palace, 
the  Palace  of  Justice,  and  the  Maisoii  du  Roi ;  but 
nothing  is  more  strange  than  the  great  number  of 
slaves  working  in  the  streets,  and  carrying  burdens, 
with  their  confused  noises,  and  jingling  of  their  huge 
chains.  The  chief  trade  of  the  town  is  in  silks  and 
drugs  out  of  Africa,  Syria,  and  Egypt,  and  Barbary 
horses,  which  are  brought  hither  in  great  numbers. 
The  town  is  governed  by  four  captains,  has  three 
consuls,  and  one  assessor,  three  judges  royal; 
the  merchants  have  a  judge  for  ordinary  causes. 
Here  we  bought  umbrellas  against  the  heats,^  and 

1  [Umbrellas,  at  this  date,  though  used  abroad,  were  unfamiliar 
in  England.  "Temperance  and  an  umbrella  must  be  my  de- 
fence against  the  heats/'  writes  Edward  Browne  (Sir  Thomas 


126  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

consulted  of  our  journey  to  Cannes  by  land,  for 
fear  of  the  Picaroon  Turks,  who  make  prize  of 
many  small  vessels  about  these  parts ;  we  not 
finding  a  galley  bound  for  Genoa,  whither  we  were 
designed. 

^th  October,  We  took  mules,  passing  the  first 
night  very  late  in  sight  of  St.  Baume,  and  the 
solitary  grot  where  they  affirm  Mary  Magdalen  did 
her  penance.  The  next  day,  we  lay  at  Perigueux,  a 
city  built  on  an  old  foundation  ;  witness  the  ruins 
of  a  most  stately  amphitheatre,  which  I  went  out 
to  design,  being  about  a  flight-shot  from  the  town ; 
they  call  it  now  the  Rolsies.  There  is  also  a  strong 
tower  near  the  town,  called  the  Vesune,^  but  the 
town  and  city  are  at  some  distance  from  each 
other.  It  is  a  bishopric ;  has  a  cathedral  with 
divers  noblemen's  houses  in  sight  of  the  sea.  The 
place  was  formerly  called  Forum  Julij,  well  known 
by  antiquaries. 

10th,  We  proceeded  by  the  ruins  of  a  stately 
aqueduct.  The  soil  about  the  country  is  rocky, 
full  of  pines  and  rare  simples. 

llth.  We  lay  at  Cannes,  which  is  a  small  port 
on  the  Mediterranean  ;  here  we  agreed  with  a  sea- 
man to  carry  us  to  Genoa,  and,  having  procured  a 

Browne's  eldest  son)  from  Venice  in  l665.]  Coiyat  describes 
them  thus  in  I6O8  : — "  Also  many  of  them  [the  Italians]  doe  carry 
other  fine  things  of  a  far  greater  price,  that  will  cost  at  least 
a  duckat,  which  they  commonly  call  in  the  Italian  tongues 
umbrellocs,  that  is,  things  that  minister  shadow  unto  them  for 
shelter  against  the  scorching  heate  of  the  smine.  These  are 
made  of  leather  something  answerable  to  the  foraie  of  a  little 
cannopy,  &  hooped  in  the  inside  with  divers  little  wooden 
hoopes  that  extend  the  umbrella  in  a  pretty  large  compasse.  They 
are  used  especially  by  horsemen,  who  carry  them  in  their  hands 
when  they  ride,  fastening  the  end  of  the  handle  upon  one  of 
their  thighes  ;  and  they  impart  so  long  a  shadow  unto  them,  that 
it  keepeth  the  he^ate  of  the  sunne  from  the  uj^per  parts  of  their 
bodies"  (Crudities,  1776,  i.  135).] 

^  [From  Vesuna,  its  old  Roman  name.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  127 

bill  of  health  (without  which  there  is  no  admission 
at  any  town  in  Italy),  we  embarked  on  the  12th. 
We  touched  at  the  islands  of  St.  Margaret  and  St. 
Honorat,  lately  re-taken  from  the  Spaniards  with 
great  bravery  by  Prince  Harcourt.  Here,  having 
paid  some  small  duty,  we  bought  some  trifles 
offered  us  by  the  soldiers,  but  without  going  on 
shore.  Hence,  we  coasted  within  two  leagues  of 
Antibes,  w^hich  is  the  utmost  town  in  France. 
Thence  by  Nice,  a  city  in  Savoy,  built  all  of  brick, 
which  gives  it  a  very  pleasant  appearance  towards 
the  sea,  having  a  very  high  castle  which  conmiands 
it.  We  sailed  by  Morgus,  now  called  Monaco, 
having  passed  Villa  Franca,  heretofore  Portus 
Herculis,  when,  arriving  after  the  gates  w^ere  shut, 
we  were  forced  to  abide  all  night  in  the  barge, 
which  was  put  into  the  haven,  the  wind  coming 
contrary.  In  the  morning,  we  were  hastened  away, 
having  no  time  permitted  us  by  our  avaricious 
master  to  go  up  and  see  this  strong  and  considerable 
place,  which  now  belongs  to  a  prince  of  the  family 
of  Grimaldi,  of  Genoa,  who  has  put  both  it  and 
himself  under  the  protection  of  the  French.  The 
situation  is  on  a  promontory  of  solid  stone  and 
rock.  The  town  walls  very  fair.  We  were  told 
that  within  it  was  an  ample  court,  and  a  palace, 
furnished  with  the  most  rich  and  princely  mov- 
ables, and  a  collection  of  statues,  pictures,  and 
massy  plate  to  an  immense  amount. 

We  sailed  by  Men  tone  and  Ventimigiia,  being 
the  first  city  of  the  republic  of  Genoa ;  supped  at 
Oneglia,  where  we  anchored  and  lay  on  shore. 
The  next  morning,  we  coasted  in  view  of  the 
Isle  of  Corsica,  and  St.  Remo,  where  the  shore  is 
furnished  with  evergreens,  oranges,  citrons,  and 
date  trees ;  we  lay  at  Porto  Maurizio.  The  next 
morning  by  Diano,  Araisso,  famous  for  the  best 
coral  fishing,  growing  in  abundance  on  the  rocks, 


128  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


deep  and  continually  covered  by  the  sea.  By 
Albenga  and  Finale,  a  very  fair  and  strong  town 
belonging  to  the  King  of  Spain,  for  which  reason  a 
monsieur  in  our  vessel  was  extremely  afraid,  as  was 
the  patron  of  our  bark,  for  they  frequently  catch 
French  prizes,  as  they  creep  by  these  shores  to  go 
into  Italy  ;  he  therefore  plied  both  sails  and  oars, 
to  get  under  the  protection  of  a  Genoese  galley 
that  passed  not  far  before  us,  and  in  whose  com- 
pany we  sailed  as  far  as  the  Cape  of  Savona,  a  town 
built  at  the  rise  of  the  Apennines  :  for  all  this  coast 
(except  a  little  of  St.  Remo)  is  a  high  and  steep 
mountainous  ground,  consisting  all  of  rock-marble, 
without  any  grass,  tree,  or  rivage,  formidable  to 
look  on.  A  strange  object  it  is,  to  consider  how 
some  poor  cottages  stand  fast  on  the  declivities  of 
these  precipices,  and  by  what  steps  the  inhabitants 
ascend  to  them.  The  rock  consists  of  all  sorts  of 
the  most  precious  marbles. 

Here,  on  the  15th,  forsaking  our  galley,  we 
encountered  a  little  foul  w^eather,  which  made  us 
creep  terra,  terra,  as  they  call  it,  and  so  a  vessel 
that  encountered  us  advised  us  to  do  ;  but  our 
patron,  striving  to  double  the  point  of  Savona, 
making  out  into  the  wind  put  us  into  great  hazard; 
for  blowing  very  hard  from  land  betwixt  those 
horrid  gaps  of  the  mountains,  it  set  so  violently,  as 
raised  on  the  sudden  so  great  a  sea,  that  we  could 
not  recover  the  weather-shore  for  many  hours,  inso- 
much that,  what  \\\\h  the  w^ater  already  entered, 
and  the  confusion  of  fearful  passengers  (of  which 
one  who  was  an  Irish  bishop,  and  his  brother,  a 
priest,  were  confessing  some  as  at  the  article  of 
death),  we  were  almost  abandoned  to  despair,  our 
pilot  himself  giving  us  up  for  lost.  And  now,  as 
we  were  weary  with  pumping  and  laving  out  the 
water,  almost  sinking,  it  pleased  God  on  the  sudden 
to  appease  the  wind,  and  with  much  ado  and  great 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  129 

peril  we  recovered  the  shore,  which  we  now  kept  in 
view  within  half  a  league  in  sight  of  those  pleasant 
villas,  and  within  scent  of  those  fragrant  orchards 
which  are  on  this  coast,  full  of  princely  retirements 
for  the  sumptuousness  of  their  buildings,  and  noble- 
ness of  the  plantations,  especially  those  at  St. 
Pietro  d'  Arena  ;  from  whence,  the  wind  blowing  as 
it  did,  might  perfectly  be  smelt  the  peculiar  joys 
of  Italy  in  the  perfumes  of  orange,  citron,  and 
jasmine  flowers,  for  divers  leagues  seaward.^ 

l^th  October,  We  got  to  anchor  under  the 
Pharos,  or  watch-tower,  built  on  a  high  rock  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Mole  of  Genoa,^  the  weather  being 
still  so  foul  that  for  two  hours  at  least  we  durst 
not  stand  into  the  haven.  Towards  evening  we 
adventured,  and  came  on  shore  by  the  Pratique- 
house,  where,  after  strict  examination  by  the 
Syndics,  we  were  had  to  the  Ducal  Palace,  and 
there  our  names  being  taken,  we  were  conducted 
to  our  inn,  kept  by  one  Zacharias,  an  Englishman. 
I  shall  never  forget  a  story  of  our  host  Zachary, 
who,  on  the  relation  of  our  peril,  told  us  another  of 
his  own,  being  shipwrecked,  as  he  affirmed  solemnly, 
in  the  middle  of  a  great  sea  somewhere  in  the  West 
Indies,  that  he  swam  no  less  than  twenty-two 
leagues  to  another  island,  with  a  tinder-box  wrapped 
up  in  his  hair,  which  was  not  so  much  as  wet  all  the 

^  [Evelyn  refers  to  this  again  in  the  dedication  of  his  Fumi- 
fiigium  (1661)  to  Charles  the  Second: — ^^  Those  who  take  notice 
of  the  scent  of  the  orange-flowers  from  the  rivage  of  Genoa,  and 
St.  Pietro  dell'  Arena ;  the  blossomes  of  the  rosemary  from  the 
Coasts  of  Spain,  many  leagues  off  at  sea ;  or  the  manifest,  and 
odoriferous  wafts  which  flow  from  Fontenay  and  Vaugirard, 
even  to  Paris  in  the  season  of  roses,  with  the  contraiy  effect 
of  those  less  pleasing  smells  from  other  accidents,  will  easily 
consent  to  what  I  suggest "  {i.e.  that  it  is  wise  to  plant  sweet- 
smelling  trees).     Miscellaneous  Writings,  1825,  p.  208.] 

2  ["  At  first  it  was  onely  a  little  Fort  for  to  help  to  bridle 
Genua,  and  it  was  built  by  Lewis  the  XII.  of  France"  (Lassels, 
Voijage  of  Italy,  1670,  i.  p.  84).] 

VOL.  I  K 


130  THE  DIAEY  OF  i6u 

way  ;  that  picking  up  the  carpenter's  tools  with 
other  provisions  in  a  chest,  he  and  the  carpenter, 
who  accompanied  him  (good  swimmers  it  seems 
both),  floated  the  chest  before  them  ;  and,  arriving 
at  last  in  a  place  full  of  wood,  they  built  another 
vessel,  and  so  escaped  !  After  this  story,  we  no 
more  talked  of  our  danger ;  Zachary  put  us  quite 
down. 

17 t/i  October,  Accompanied  by  a  most  court- 
eous viarchand,  called  Tomson,  we  went  to  view  the 
rarities.  The  city  is  built  in  the  hollow  or  bosom 
of  a  mountain,  whose  ascent  is  very  steep,  high, 
and  rocky,  so  that,  from  the  Lantern  and  ]\Iole  to 
the  hill,  it  represents  the  shape  of  a  theatre ;  the 
streets  and  buildings  so  ranged  one  above  another, 
as  our  seats  are  in  the  play-houses ;  but,  from  their 
materials,  beauty,  and  structure,  never  was  an 
artificial  scene  more  beautiful  to  the  eye,  nor  is  any 
place,  for  the  size  of  it,  so  full  of  well-designed  and 
stately  palaces,  as  may  be  easily  concluded  by  that 
rare  book  in  a  large  folio  which  the  great  virtuoso 
and  painter,  Paul  Rubens,  has  published,  though 
it  contains  [the  description  of]  only  one  street  and 
two  or  three  churches.^ 

The  first  palace  we  went  to  visit  was  that  of 
Hieronymo  del  Negros,  to  which  we  passed  by  boat 
across  the  harbour.  Here  I  could  not  but  observe 
the  sudden  and  devilish  passion  of  a  seaman,  who 
plying  us  was  intercepted  by  another  fellow,  that 
interposed  his  boat  before  him  and  took  us  in  ;  for 
the  tears  gushing  out  of  his  eyes,  he  put  his  finger 
in  his  mouth  and  almost  bit  it  off  by  the  joint, 
showing  it  to  his  antagonist  as  an  assurance  to  him 
of  some  bloody  revenge,  if  ever  he  came  near  that 
part  of  the  harbour  again.  Indeed  this  beautiful 
city  is  more  stained  with  such  horrid  acts  of  revenge 

1  [Palazzi  di  Genova,  139  plates  published  by  Rubens  at 
Antwerp  in  l622,  from  designs  probably  made  at  Genoa  in  l607.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  131 

and  murders,  than  any  one  place  in  Europe,  or 
haply  in  the  world,  where  there  is  a  political 
government,  which  makes  it  unsafe  to  strangers. 
It  is  made  a  galley  matter  to  carry  a  knife  whose 
point  is  not  broken  off. 

This  palace  of  Negros  is  richly  furnished  with 
the  rarest  pictures  ;  on  the  terrace,  or  hilly  garden, 
there  is  a  grove  of  stately  trees,  amongst  which  are 
sheep,  shepherds,  and  wild  beasts,  cut  very  arti- 
ficially in  a  grey  stone ;  fountains,  rocks,  and  fish- 
ponds ;  casting  your  eyes  one  way,  you  would 
imagine  yourself  in  a  wilderness  and  silent  country  ; 
sideways,  in  the  heart  of  a  great  city  ;  and  back- 
wards, in  the  midst  of  the  sea.  All  this  is  within 
one  acre  of  ground.  In  the  house,  I  noticed 
those  red-plaster  floors  which  are  made  so  hard, 
and  kept  so  polished,  that  for  some  time  one 
would  take  them  for  whole  pieces  of  porphyry.  I 
have  frequently  wondered  that  we  never  practised 
this  [art]  in  England  for  cabinets  and  rooms  of 
state, ^  for  it  appears  to  me  beyond  any  invention 
of  that  kind  ;  but  by  their  carefully  covering  them 
with  canvass  and  fine  mattresses,  where  there  is 
much  passage,  I  suppose  they  are  not  lasting  in 
their  glory,  and  haply  they  are  often  repaired. 

There  are  numerous  other  palaces  of  particular 
curiosities,  for  the  marchands  being  very  rich,  have, 
like  our  neighbours,  the  Hollanders,^  little  or  no 
extent  of  ground  to  employ  their  estates  in ;  as 
those  in  pictures  and  hangings,  so  these  lay  it  out 
on  marble  houses  and  rich  furniture.  One  of  the 
greatest  here  for  circuit  is  that  of  the  Prince  Doria, 
which  reaches  from  the  sea  to  the  summit  of  the 
mountains.  The  house  is  most  magnificently  built 
without,  nor  less  gloriously  furnished  within,  having 

1  There  are  such  at  Hardwick  Hall,  in  Derbyshire,  a  seat  of 
the  Duke  of  Devonshire's. 

2  [Cf.  ante,  p.  32.] 


132  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

whole  tables  ^  and  bedsteads  of  massy  silver,  many 
of  them  set  with  agates,  onyxes,  cornelians,  lazulis, 
pearls,  turquoises,  and  other  precious  stones.  The 
pictures  and  statues  are  innumerable.  To  this 
palace  belong  three  gardens,  the  first  whereof  is 
beautified  with  a  terrace,  supported  by  pillars  of 
marble  :  ^  there  is  a  fountain  of  eagles,  and  one  of 
Neptune,  with  other  sea-gods,  all  of  the  purest 
white  marble  ;  they  stand  in  a  most  ample  basin  of 
the  same  stone.  At  the  side  of  this  garden  is  such 
an  aviary  as  Sir  Francis  Bacon  describes  in  his 
Sermones  Jldelium,  or  Essays,^  wherein  grow  trees 
of  more  than  two  feet  diameter,  besides  cypress, 
myrtles,  lentiscuses,  and  other  rare  shrubs,  which 
serve  to  nestle  and  perch  all  sorts  of  birds,  who 
have  air  and  place  enough  under  their  airy  canopy, 
supported  with  huge  iron  work,  stupendous  for  its 
fabric  and  the  charge.^  The  other  two  gardens  are 
full  of  orange  trees,  citrons,  and  pomegranates, 
fountains,  grots,  and  statues.  One  of  the  latter  is 
a  colossal  Jupiter,  under  which  is  the  sepulchre  of 
a  beloved  dog,  for  the  care  of  which  one  of  this 
family  received  of  the  King  of  Spain  500  crowns  a 
year,  during  the  life  of  that  faithful  animal.  The 
reservoir  of  water  here  is  a  most  admirable  piece  of 
art ;  and  so  is  the  grotto  over  against  it. 

1  [In  his  Voyage  of  Italy,  l670,  i.  p.  94,  Lassels  says  that  one 
of  these  weighed  24,000  lbs.] 

~  [Cf.  Lassels,  "  Its  garden  towards  the  Sea  is  built  upon 
three  rowes  of  white  marble  Ray  Is  borne  up  by  white  marble  pillars, 
which  ascending  by  degrees,  is  so  beautiful!  to  behold  from  the 
Sea,  that  strangers  passing  that  way  to  Gemia,  take  this  garden 
for  a  second  Paradise''  (i.  p.  92).] 

■^  [The  Latin  title  which  Bacon  chose  himself  for  his  Essays  in 
1638  was  Sermones  Fideles,  sive  Interiora  Rerum.] 

*  ["  For  Aviaries,  I  like  them  not,  except  they  be  of  that 
Largenesse  as  they  may  be  Turffed,  and  have  Living  Plants  and 
Bushes  set  in  them ;  That  the  Birds  may  have  more  Scope,  and 
Naturall  Neastling,  and  that  no  Foulenesse  appeare  in  the  Floare 
of  the  Aviary  "  (Essay  xlvi. — "  Of  Gardens  ").] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  133 


We  went  hence  to  the  Palace  of  the  Dukes, 
where  is  also  the  Court  of  Justice ;  thence  to  the 
Merchant's  Walk,  rarely  covered.  Near^  the 
Ducal  Palace  we  saw  the  public  armoury,  which 
was  almost  all  new,  most  neatly  kept  and  ordered, 
sufficient  for  30,000  men.  We  were  showed  many 
rare  inventions  and  engines  of  war  peculiar  to  that 
armoury,  as  in  the  state  when  guns  were  first  put 
in  use.  The  garrison  of  the  town  chiefly  consists 
of  Germans  and  Corsicans.  The  famous  Strada 
Nova,  built  wholly  of  polished  marble,  was  designed 
by  Rubens,  and  for  stateliness  of  the  buildings, 
paving,  and  evenness  of  the  street,  is  far  superior 
to  any  in  Europe,  for  the  number  of  houses  ;  ^  that 
of  Don  Carlo  Doria  is  a  most  magnificent  structure. 
In  the  gardens  of  the  old  Marquess  Spinola,  I  saw 
huge  citrons  hanging  on  the  trees  applied  like  our 
apricots  to  the  walls.  The  churches  are  no  less 
splendid  than  the  palaces ;  that  of  St.  Francis  is 
wholly  built  of  Parian  marble ;  St.  Laurence,  in 
the  middle  of  the  city,  of  white  and  black  polished 
stone,  the  inside  wholly  incrusted  with  marble  and 
other  precious  materials ;  on  the  altar  of  St.  John 
stand  four  sumptuous  columns  of  porphyry;  and  here 
we  were  showed  an  emerald,  supposed  to  be  one 
of  the  largest  in  the  world.^  The  church  of  St 
Ambrosio,  belonging  to  the  Jesuits,  will,  when 
finished,    exceed   all    the   rest ;    and    that   of    the 

1  Lassels  says  (i.  p.  89),  in  the  Palace. 

2  ["  The  New-Street  is  a  double  Range  of  Palaces  from  one 
end  to  the  other,  built  with  an  excellent  Fancy,  and  fit  for  the 
greatest  Princes  to  inhabit"  (Addison's  Remarks  on  Italy,  1705, 
p.  11>] 

3  Lassels  calls  it  a  great  dish,  in  which  they  say  here  that  our 
Saviour  ate  the  Paschal  Lamb  with  his  Disciples  ;  but  he  candidly 
adds  that  he  finds  no  authority  for  it  in  any  ancient  writer,  and 
that  to  it  must  be  opposed  the  statement  of  the  Venerable  Bede, 
that  the  dish  used  was  of  siher !  Of  an  "  authentic  Relick  "  of  St. 
John,  he  observes  that  Cardinal  Baronius  speaks  credibly  (i.  p.  86). 


134  THE  DIAKY  OF  i644 

Annunciata,  founded  at  the  charges  of  one  family/ 
in  the  present  and  future  design  can  never  be  out- 
done for  cost  and  art.  From  the  churches  we 
walked  to  the  Mole,  a  work  of  solid  huge  stone, 
stretching  itself  near  600  paces  into  the  main  sea, 
and  secures  the  harbour,  heretofore  of  no  safety. 
Of  all  the  wonders  of  Italy,  for.  the  art  and  nature 
of  the  design,  nothing  parallels  this.  We  passed 
over  to  the  Pharos,  or  Lantern,  a  tower  of  very 
great  height.  Here  we  took  horses,  and  made  the 
circuit  of  the  city  as  far  as  the  new  walls,  built  of 
a  prodigious  height,  and  with  Herculean  industry ; 
witness  those  vast  pieces  of  whole  mountains  which 
they  have  hewn  away,  and  blown  up  with  gun- 
powder, to  render  them  steep  and  inaccessible. 
They  are  not  much  less  than  twenty  English  miles 
in  extent,^  reaching  beyond  the  utmost  buildings  of 
the  city.  From  one  of  these  promontories  we  could 
easily  discern  the  island  of  Corsica ;  and  from  the 
same,  eastward,  we  saw  a  vale  having  a  great 
torrent  running  through  a  most  desolate  barren 
country  ;  and  then  turning  our  eyes  more  northward, 
saw  those  delicious  villas  of  St.  Pietro  d' Arena,  which 
present  another  Genoa  to  you,  the  ravishing  retire- 
ments of  the  Genoese  nobility.  Hence,  with  much 
pain,  we  descended  towards  the  Arsenal,  where  the 
galleys  lie  in  excellent  order. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  city  are  much  affected  to 
the    Spanish  mode  and  stately  garb.^      From  the 

1  Two  brothers,  named  Lomellini,  allowed  the  third  part  of 
their  gains  (Lassels,  i.  p.  87). 

'^  Lassels  says  (i.  p.  83),  finished  in  eighteen  months,  and  yet  six 
miles  in  compass. 

^  Thus  described  by  Lassels  (i.  p.  9o) '-  "  Broad  hats  without 
hat-bands  ;  broad  leather  ^7*f?/e*  with  steel  buckles,  narrow  britches 
with  long-wasted  doublets  and  hanging  sleeves,  to  be  a  la  mode, 
as  well  as  in  Madiid.  And  I  found  all  the  great  Ladyes  here  to 
go  like  the  Donnas  of  Spayne,  in  Guardinfantas  [thild-preservers], 
that  is,  in  horrible  overgrowne  J'ertigals  of  whale-bone,  which 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  135 

narrowness   of  the   streets,   they  use   sedans   and 
litters,  and  not  coaches. 

19///  October,  We  embarked  in  a  felucca  for 
Livorno,  or  Leghorn ;  but  the  sea  running  very 
high,  we  put  in  at  Porto  Venere,  which  we  made 
with  peril,  between  two  narrow  horrid  rocks, 
against  which  the  sea  dashed  with  great  velocity ; 
but  we  were  soon  delivered  into  as  great  a  calm 
and  a  most  ample  harbour,  being  in  the  Golfo 
di  Spezia.  From  hence,  we  could  see  Pliny's 
Delphini  Promontorium,  now  called  Capo  fino. 
Here  stood  that  famous  city  of  Luna,  whence  the 
port  was  named  Lunaris,  being  about  two  leagues 
over,  more  resembling  a  lake  than  a  haven,  but 
defended  by  castles  and  excessive  high  mountains. 
We  landed  at  Lerici,  where,  being  Sunday,  was  a 
great  procession,  carrying  the  Sacrament  about 
the  streets  in  solemn  devotion.  After  dinner,  we 
took  post-horses,  passing  through  whole  groves  of 
olive  trees,  the  way  somewhat  rugged  and  hilly  at 
first,  but  afterwards  pleasant.  Thus  we  passed 
through  the  towns  of  Sarzana  and  Massa,  and  the 
vast  marble  quarries  of  Carrara,  and  lodged  in  an 
obscure  inn,  at  a  place  called  Viareggio.  The  next 
morning,  we  arrived  at  Pisa,  where  I  met  my  old 
friend,  Mr.  Thomas  Henshaw,  who  was  then  newly 
come  out  of  Spain,  and  from  whose  company  I 
never  parted  till  more  than  a  year  after. ^ 

The  city  of  Pisa  is  as  much  worth  seeing  as  any 
in  Italy;  it  has  contended' with  Rome,  Florence, 

being  put  about  the  waste  of  the  Lady,  and  full  as  broad 
on  both  sides,  as  she  can  reach  -svith  her  hands,  beare  out  her 
coats  in  such  a  huffing  manner,  that  she  appears  to  be  as  broad 
as  long.  So  that  the  men  here  with  their  little  close  britches, 
looked  like  tumblers  that  leap  through  the  houps :  and  the 
women  like  those  that  danced  anciently  the  Hobby-horse  in 
CO untry  Mumm lugs. 

1  [Thomas  Henshaw,   l6l8-l700,  of  University  College,  Ox- 
ford, and  Middle  Temple  (see  post,  under  15th  Februaiy,  l645).] 


136  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

Sardinia,  Sicily,  and  even  Carthage.^  The  palace 
and  church  of  St.  Stefano  (where  the  order  of 
knighthood  called  by  that  name  was  instituted) 
drew  first  our  curiosity,  the  outside  thereof  being 
altogether  of  polished  marble ;  within,  it  is  full  of 
tables  relating  to  this  Order ;  over  which  hang 
divers  banners  and  pendants,  with  other  trophies 
taken  by  them  from  the  Turks,  against  whom  they 
are  particularly  obliged  to  fight ;  though  a  religious 
order,  they  are  permitted  to  marry.  At  the  front 
of  the  palace  stands  a  fountain,  and  the  statue 
of  the  great  Duke  Cosmo.  The  Campanile,  or 
Settezonio,  built  by  John  Venipont,  a  German, 
consists  of  several  orders  of  pillars,  thirty  in  a  row, 
designed  to  be  much  higher.  It  stands  alone  on 
the  right  side  of  the  cathedral,  strangely  remarkable 
for  this,  that  the  beholder  would  expect  it  to  fall, 
being  built  exceedingly  declining,  by  a  rare  address 
of  the  architect ;  and  how  it  is  supported  from 
falling  I  think  would  puzzle  a  good  geometrician. 
The  Duomo,  or  Cathedral,  standing  near  it,  is  a 
superb  structure,  beautified  with  six  columns  of 
great  antiquity  ;  the  gates  are  of  brass,  of  admir- 
able workmanship.  The  cemetery  called  Campo 
Santo  is  made  of  divers  galley  ladings  of  earth 
formerly  brought  from  Jerusalem,  said  to  be  of 
such  a  nature,  as  to  consume  dead  bodies  in  forty 
hours.^     'Tis   cloistered  with  marble  arches ;    and 

^  [Addison  calls  Pisa  "still  the  Shell  of  a  great  City,  tho' 
not  half  fumish'd  with  Inhabitants"  (Remarks  on  Italy,  1705, 
p.  400).] 

2  [Archbishop  Ubaldo,  1 1 88-1 200,  the  founder  of  the  cemetery, 
brought  the  earth  from  Palestine.  Cf.  account  of  St.  Innocent's 
Churchyard  at  Paris,  ante,  p.  1 00.  "  I  have  been  often  at  St. 
Innocents  church  yard,  and  have  seen  them  dig  up  bones  which 
have  been  very  rotten  after  3  weeks  or  a  month's  interrement. 
The  flesh  must  needs  then  bee  corrupted  in  a  far  shorter  space  " 
(Edward  Browne  to  his  father,  l7th  May,  l664,  Sir  T.  Browne's 
Works,  1836,  i.  61).] 


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1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  137 


here  lies  buried  the  learned  Philip  Decius/  who 
taught  in  this  University.  At  one  side  of  this 
church,  stands  an  ample  and  well-wrought  marble 
vessel,  which  heretofore  contained  the  tribute  paid 
yearly  by  the  city  to  Cassar.  It  is  placed,  as  I 
remember,  on  a  pillar  of  opal  stone,  with  divers 
other  antique  urns.  Near  this,  and  in  the  same 
field,  is  the  Baptistery  of  San  Giovanni,  built  of 
pure  white  marble,  and  covered  with  so  artificial  a 
cupola,  that  the  voice  uttered  under  it  seems  to 
break  out  of  a  cloud.  The  font  and  pulpit,  sup- 
ported by  four  lions,  is  of  inestimable  value  for  the 
preciousness  of  the  materials.  The  place  where 
these  buildings  stand  they  call  the  Area.  Hence, 
we  went  to  the  College,  to  which  joins  a  gallery  so 
furnished  with  natural  rarities,  stones,  minerals, 
shells,  dried  animals,  skeletons,  etc.,  as  is  hardly  to 
be  seen  in  Italy.  To  this  the  Physic  Garden  lies, 
where  is  a  noble  palm  tree,  and  very  fine  water- 
works. The  river  Arno  runs  through  the  middle 
of  this  stately  city,  whence  the  main  street  is 
named  Lung'  Arno.  It  is  so  ample  that  the 
Duke's  galleys,  built  in  the  arsenal  here,  are  easily 
conveyed  to  Leghorn  ;  over  the  river  is  an  arch, 
the  like  of  which,  for  its  flatness,  and  serving  for  a 
bridge,  is  nowhere  in  Europe.  The  Duke  has  a 
stately  Palace,  before  which  is  placed  the  statue 
of  Ferdinand  the  Third ;  over  against  it  is  the 
Exchange,  built  of  marble.  Since  this  city  came 
to  be  under  the  Dukes  of  Tuscany,  it  has  been 
much  depopulated,  though  there  is  hardly  in  Italy 
any  which  exceeds  it  for  stately  edifices.  The 
situation  of  it  is  low  and  flat ;  but  the  inhabitants 
have  spacious  gardens,  and  even  fields  within  the 
walls. 

21^^    October,     We    took    coach    to    Leghorn, 
through  the  Great  Duke's  new  park  full  of  huge 

1  [Philip  Decio,  1454-1535,  a  famous  Italian  lawyer.] 


138  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


cork  trees,  the  underwood  all  myrtles,  amongst 
which  were  many  buffaloes  feeding,  a  kind  of  wild 
ox,  short  nose  with  horns  reversed ;  those  who 
work  with  them  command  them,  as  our  bear-wards 
do  the  bears,  with  a  ring  through  the  nose,  and  a 
cord.  Much  of  this  park,  as  well  as  a  great  part 
of  the  country  about  it,  is  very  fenny,  and  the  air 
very  bad. 

Leghorn  is  the  prime  port  belonging  to  all  the 
Duke's  territories  ;  heretofore  a  very  obscure  towTi, 
but  since  Duke  Ferdinand  has  strongly  fortified  it 
(after  the  modern  way),  drained  the  marshes  by 
cutting  a  channel  thence  to  Pisa  navigable  sixteen 
miles,  and  has  raised  a  mole,  emulating  that  at 
Genoa,  to  secure  the  shipping,  it  is  become  a  place 
of  great  receipt ;  it  has  also  a  place  for  the  galleys, 
where  they  lie  safe.  Before  the  sea  is  an  ample 
piazza  for  the  market,  where  are  the  statues  in 
copper  of  the  four  slaves,  much  exceeding  the  life 
for  proportion,  and,  in  the  judgment  of  most 
artists,  one  of  the  best  pieces  of  modern  work.^ 
Here,  especially  in  this  piazza,  is  such  a  concourse 
of  slaves,  Turks,  Moors,  and  other  nations,  that 
the  number  and  confusion  is  prodigious ;  some 
buying,  others  selling,  others  drinking,  others 
playing,  some  working,  others  sleeping,  fighting, 
singing,  weeping,  all  nearly  naked,  and  miserably 
chained.  Here  was  a  tent,  where  any  idle  fellow 
might  stake  his  liberty  against  a  few  cro^vns,  at 
dice,  or  other  hazard ;  and,  if  he  lost,  he  was  im- 
mediately chained  and  led  away  to  the  galleys, 
where  he  was  to  serve  a  term  of  years,  but  from 

^  [They  were  at  the  foot  of  Duke  Ferdinand's  statue. 
"  Tliese  are  the  4  slaves  that  would  have  stolne  away  a  galley, 
and  have  rowed  here  themselves  alone ;  but  were  taken  in 
their  great  enterprize "  (Lassels,  i.  p.  T3>2>).  Addison  also 
mentions  ''  Donatellis  Statue  of  the  Great  Duke,  amidst  the 
Four  Slaves  chain'd  to  his  Pedestal,"  as  among  the  ^^  noble 
Sights"  of  Leghorn  {Remarks  on  Italy,  1705,  p.  392).] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  139 

whence  they  seldom  returned:  many  sottish  persons, 
in  a  drunken  bravado,  would  try  their  fortune  in 
this  way. 

The  houses  of  this  neat  town  are  very  uniform, 
and  excellently  painted,  a  fresco  on  the  outer 
walls,  with  representations  of  many  of  their 
victories  over  the  Turks.  The  houses,  though  low 
on  account  of  the  earthquakes  which  frequently 
happen  here  (as  did  one  during  my  being  in  Italy), 
are  very  well  built ;  the  piazza  is  very  fair  and 
commodious,  and,  with  the  church,  whose  four 
columns  at  the  portico  are  of  black  marble  polished, 
gave  the  first  hint  to  the  building  both  of  the 
church  and  piazza  in  Covent  Garden  with  us, 
though  very  imperfectly  pursued. 

22nd  October.  From  Leghorn,  I  took  coach  to 
Empoli,  where  we  lay,  and  the  next  day  arrived  at 
Florence,  being  recommended  to  the  house  of 
Signor  Baritiere,  in  the  Piazza  del  Spirito  Santo, 
where  we  were  exceedingly  well  treated.  Florence 
is  at  the  foot  of  the  Apennines,  the  west  part  full 
of  stately  groves  and  pleasant  meadows,  beautified 
with  more  than  a  thousand  houses  and  country 
palaces  of  note,  belonging  to  gentlemen  of  the 
town.  The  river  Arno  runs  through  the  city,  in  a 
broad,  but  very  shallow  channel,  dividing  it,  as  it 
were,  in  the  middle,  and  over  it  are  four  most 
sumptuous  bridges,  of  stone.  On  that  nearest  to 
our  quarter  are  the  four  Seasons,  in  white  marble  ;  ^ 
on  another  are  the  goldsmiths'  shops  ;  ^  at  the  head 
of  the  former  stands  a  column  of  ophite,  upon 
which  a  statue  of  Justice,  with  her   balance  and 

1  [These  are  on  the  Ponte  di  Sta.  Trinita.] 

2  The    Ponte    Vecchio.      Longfellow  has    remembered    this 
feature  in  his  sonnet  ending — 

Florence  adorns  me  with  her  Jeioehy  ; 
And  when  I  think  that  Michael  Angelo 
Hath  leaned  on  me,  I  glory  in  myself. 

A  Masque  of  Pandora,  1875,  151.] 


140  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


sword,  cut  out  of  porphyry,  and  the  more  remarkable 
for  being  the  first  which  had  been  carved  out  of 
that  hard  material,  and  brought  to  perfection,  after 
the  art  had  been  utterly  lost ;  they  say  this  was 
done  by  hardening  the  tools  in  the  juice  of  certain 
herbs.  This  statue  was  erected  in  that  corner, 
because  there  Cosmo  was  first  saluted  with  the 
news  of  Siena  being  taken. ^ 

Near  this  is  the  famous  Palazzo  di  Strozzi,  a 
princely  piece  of  architecture,  in  a  rustic  manner. 
The  Palace  of  Pitti  was  built  by  that  family,  but 
of  late  greatly  beautified  by  Cosmo  with  huge 
square  stones  of  the  Doric,  Ionic,  and  the  Corinthian 
orders,  with  a  terrace  at  each  side  having  rustic 
uncut  balustrades,  ^vith  a  fountain  that  ends  in  a 
cascade  seen  from  the  great  gate,  and  so  forming  a 
vista  to  the  gardens.  Nothing  is  more  admirable 
than  the  vacant  staircase,  marbles,  statues,  urns, 
pictures,  court,  grotto,  and  water-works.  In  the 
quadrangle  is  a  huge  jetto  of  water  in  a  volto  of 
four  faces,  with  noble  statues  at  each  square, 
especially  the  Diana  of  porphyry  above  the  grotto. 
We  were  here  showed  a  prodigious  great  loadstone. 

The  garden  has  every  variety,  hills,  dales,  rocks, 
groves,  aviaries,  vivaries,  fountains,  especially  one 
of  five  jettos,  the  middle  basin  being  one  of  the 
longest  stones  I  ever  saw.  Here  is  everything  to 
make  such  a  Paradise  delightful.  In  the  garden 
I  saw  a  rose  grafted  on  an  orange  tree.  There 
was  much  topiary-work,  and  columns  in  architec- 
ture about  the  hedges.  The  Duke  has  added  an 
ample  laboratory,  over-against  which  stands  a  fort 
on  a  hill,  where  they  told  us  his  treasure  is  kept. 
In  this  Palace  the  Duke  ordinarily  resides,  living 
with  his  Swiss  guards,  after  the  frugal  Italian  way, 
and  even  selling  what  he  can  spare  of  his  wines,  at 

^    [Cosmo   I.   de  Medici,  Grand   Duke  of  Tuscany,    1519-74. 
Siena  was  annexed  to  Tuscany  in  1557.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  141 

the  cellar  under  his  very  house,  wicker  bottles 
dangling  over  even  the  chief  entrance  into  the 
Palace,  serving  for  a  vintner's  bush. 

In  the  Church  of  Santo  Spirito  the  altar  and 
reliquary  are  most  rich,  and  full  of  precious  stones  ; 
there  are  four  pillars  of  a  kind  of  serpentine,  and 
some  of  blue.  Hence  we  went  to  another  Palace 
of  the  Duke's,  called  Palazzo  Vecchio,  before  which 
is  a  statue  of  David,  by  Michael  Angelo,^  and  one 
of  Hercules,  killing  Cacus,  the  work  of  Baccio 
Bandinelli.  The  quadrangle  about  this  is  of  the 
Corinthian  order,  and  in  the  hall  are  many  rare 
marbles,  as  those  of  Leo  the  Tenth  and  Clement 
VII.,  both  Popes  of  the  Medicean  family ;  also 
the  acts  of  Cosmo,  in  rare  painting.  In  the  chapel 
is  kept  (as  they  would  make  one  believe)  the 
original  Gospel  of  St.  John,  written  with  his  own 
hand ;  and  the  famous  Florentine  Pandects,  and 
divers  precious  stones.  Near  it  is  another  pendent 
Tower  like  that  of  Pisa,^  always  threatening  ruin. 

Under  the  Court  of  Justice  is  a  stately  arcade 
for  men  to  walk  in,  and  over  that,  the  shops  of 
divers  rare  artists  who  continually  work  for  the 
great  Duke.  Above  this  is  that  renowned 
cimeliarchy,  or  repository,  wherein  are  hundreds 
of  admirable  antiquities,  statues  of  marble  and 
metal,  vases  of  porphyry,  etc.  ;  but  amongst  the 
statues  none  so  famous  as  the  Scipio,  the  Boar,  the 
Idol  of  Apollo,  brought  from  the  Delphic  Temple, 
and  two  triumphant  columns.  Over  these  hang 
the  pictures  of  the  most  famous  persons  and 
illustrious  men  in  arts  or  arms,  to  the  number  of 
300,  taken  out  of  the  museum  of  Paulus  Jovius.* 
They  then  led  us  into  a  large  square  room,  in  the 

^  [It  has  now  been  removed  to  the  Accademia  delle  Belle 
Arti.]  ^  [See  ante,  p.  136.] 

3  [Paulus  Jovius,  or  Giovio,  1483-1552,  was  an  Italian 
historian.] 


142  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


middle  of  which  stood  a  cabinet  of  an  octangular 
form,  so  adorned  and  furnished  with  crystals, 
agates,  and  sculptures,  as  exceeds  any  description. 
This  cabinet  is  called  the  T  rib  una,  and  in  it  is  a 
pearl  as  big  as  an  hazel-nut.  The  cabinet  is  of 
ebony,  lazuli,  and  jasper ;  over  the  door  is  a  round 
of  M.  Angelo ;  on  the  cabinet,  Leo  the  Tenth, 
with  other  paintings  of  Raphael,  del  Sarto, 
Perugino,  and  Correggio,  viz.  a  St.  John,  a  Virgin, 
a  Boy,  two  Apostles,  two  heads  of  Diirer,  rarely 
carved.  Over  this  cabinet  is  a  globe  of  ivory, 
excellently  carved ;  the  Labours  of  Hercules,  in 
massy  silver,  and  many  incomparable  pictures  in 
small.  There  is  another,  which  had  about  it  eight 
Oriental  columns  of  alabaster,  on  each  whereof  was 
placed  a  head  of  a  Cgesar,  covered  with  a  canopy  so 
richly  set  with  precious  stones,  that  they  resembled 
a  firmament  of  stars.  Within  it  was  our  Saviour's 
Passion,  and  the  twelve  Apostles  in  amber.  This 
cabinet  was  valued  at  two  hundred  thousand 
crowns.  In  another,  with  calcedon  pillars,  was  a 
series  of  golden  medals.  Here  is  also  another  rich 
ebony  cabinet  cupolaed  with  a  tortoise-shell,  and 
containing  a  collection  of  gold  medals  esteemed 
worth  50,000  crowns  ;  a  wreathed  pillar  of  oriental 
alabaster,  divers  paintings  of  Da  Vinci,  Pontormo, 
del  Sarto,  an  "  Ecce  Homo  "  of  Titian,  a  Boy  of 
Bronzini,  etc.  They  showed  us  a  branch  of  coral 
fixed  on  the  rock,  which  they  affirm  does  still 
grow.  In  another  room,  is  kept  the  Tabernacle 
appointed  for  the  chapel  of  St.  Laurence,  about 
which  are  placed  small  statues  of  Saints,  of  precious 
materials ;  a  piece  of  such  art  and  cost,  that, 
having  been  these  forty  years  in  perfecting,  it  is 
one  of  the  most  curious  things  in  the  world.  Here 
were  divers  tables  of  pieti^a-commessa,^  which  is  a 

1  [Pietre-commesse,  inlaid  marbles  peculiar  to  Florence,  often 
mentioned  by  Evelyn  and  other  voyagers  in   Italy.      "  Who^" 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  143 


marble  ground  inlaid  with  several  sorts  of  marbles 
and  stones  of  various  colours,  representing  flowers, 
trees,  beasts,  birds,  and  landscapes.  In  one  is 
represented  the  town  of  Leghorn,  by  the  same 
hand  who  inlaid  the  altar  of  St  Laurence, 
Domenico  Benotti,  of  whom  I  purchased  nineteen 
pieces  of  the  same  work  for  a  cabinet.  In  a  press 
near  this  they  showed  an  iron  nail,  one  half  whereof 
being  converted  into  gold  by  one  Thurnheuser,  a 
German  chymist,  is  looked  on  as  a  great  rarity  ; 
but  it  plainly  appeared  to  have  been  soldered 
together.  There  is  a  curious  watch,  a  monstrous 
turquoise  as  big  as  an  egg,  on  which  is  carved  an 
emperor's  head. 

In  the  armoury  are  kept  many  antique  habits, 
as  those  of  Chinese  kings ;  the  sword  of  Charle- 
magne ;  Hannibal's  headpiece ;  a  loadstone  of  a 
yard  long,  which  bears  up  86  lbs.  weight,  in  a  chain 
of  seventeen  links,  such  as  the  slaves  are  tied  to. 
In  another  room  are  such  rare  turneries  in  ivory, 
as  are  not  to  be  described  for  their  curiosity. 
There  is  a  fair  pillar  of  oriental  alabaster ;  twelve 
vast  and  complete  services  of  silver  plate,  and  one 
of  gold,  all  of  excellent  workmanship ;  a  rich  em- 
broidered saddle  of  pearls  sent  by  the  Emperor  to 
this  Duke ;  and  here  is  that  embroidered  chair 
set  with  precious  stones  in  which  he  sits,  when,  on 
St.  John's  day,  he  receives  the  tribute  of  the 
cities.^ 

25th  October,  We  went  to  the  Portico  where 
the  famous  statue  of  Judith  and  Holofernes  stands, 
also  the  Medusa,  all  of  copper ;  but  what  is  most 

says  Lassels  in  his  Voyage  of  Italy  (defending  his  ^^exotick 
words"),  "can  speak  .  .  .  of  Wrought  Tombes,or  inlayd  Tables; 
but  hee  must  speak  of  bassi  rilievi ;  and  of  pietre  commesse  ? 
If  any  man  understand  them  not,  it's  his  fault,  not  mine " 
(^  Preface  to  the  Reader  concerning  Travelling).^ 

p  Lassels  gives  a  minute  description  of  the  contents  of  the 
Armoury  and  different  cabinets  (i.  pp.  164-177).] 


144  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

admirable  is  the  Rape  of  a  Sabine/  with  another 
man  under  foot,  the  confusion  and  turning  of 
whose  Hmbs  is  most  admirable.  It  is  of  one  entire 
marble,  the  work  of  John  di  Bologna,  and  is  most 
stupendous ;  this  stands  directly  against  the  great 
piazza,  where,  to  adorn  one  fountain,  are  erected 
four  marble  statues  and  eight  of  brass,  representing 
Neptune  and  his  family  of  sea-gods,  of  a  Colossean 
magnitude,  with  four  sea-horses,  in  Parian  marble 
of  Lamedrati,  in  the  midst  of  a  very  great  basin  ; 
a  work,  I  think,  hardly  to  be  paralleled.  Here  is 
also  the  famous  statue  of  David,  by  M.  Angelo  ; 
Hercules  and  Cacus,  by  Baccio  Bandinelli ;  ^  the 
Perseus,  in  copper,  by  Benevento,  and  the  Judith 
of  Donatello,  which  stand  pubUcly  before  the  old 
Palace  with  the  Centaur  of  Bologna,  huge  Colossean 
figures.  Near  this  stand  Cosmo  de'  Medici  on 
horseback,  in  brass  on  a  pedestal  of  marble,  and 
four  copper  basso-rilievos  by  John  di  Bologna, 
with  divers  inscriptions ;  the  Ferdinand  the  First, 
on  horseback,  is  of  pietra-tacca.  The  brazen 
Boar,  which  serves  for  another  public  fountain,  is 
admirable. 

After  dinner,  we  went  to  the  Church  of  the 
Annunciata,  where  the  Duke  and  his  Court  were 
at  their  devotions,  being  a  place  of  extraordinary 
repute  for  sanctity :  for  here  is  a  shrine  that  does 
great  miracles,  [proved]  by  innumerable  votive 
tablets,  etc.,  covering  almost  the  walls  of  the  whole 
church.  This  is  the  image  of  Gabriel,  who  saluted 
the  Blessed  Virgin,  and  which  the  artist  finished  so 
well,  that  he  was  in  despair  of  performing  the 
Virgin's  face  so  well ;  whereupon  it  was  miracu- 
lously done  for  him  whilst  he  slept :  but  others  say 
it  was  painted  by  St.  Luke  himself     Whoever  it 

1  [This,  like  Donatello's  Judith  and  Holofernes,  above  men- 
tioned, is  in  Orgagna's  Loggia  de'  Lanzi.] 

2  [See  ante,  p.  141.] 


1644  JOHN  EVET.YN  145 

was,  infinite  is  the  devotion  of  both  sexes  to  it. 
The  altar  is  set  off  with  four  cohimns  of  oriental 
alabaster,  and  lighted  by  thirty  great  silver  lamps. 
There  are  innumerable  other  pictures  by  rare 
masters.  Our  Saviour's  Passion  in  brass  tables 
inserted  in  marble,  is  the  work  of  John  di  Bologna 
and  Baceio  Bandinelli. 

To  this  church  joins  a  convent,  whose  cloister 
is  painted  u\  fresco  very  rarely.  There  is  also  near 
it  an  hospital  for  1000  persons,  with  nurse-children, 
and  several  other  charitable  accommodations. 

At  the  Duke's  Cavalerizza,  the  Prince  has  a 
stable  of  the  finest  horses  of  all  countries,  Arabs, 
Turks,  Barbs,  Jennets,  English,  etc.,  which  are 
continually  exercised  in  the  manege. 

Near  this  is  a  place  where  are  kept  several  wild 
beasts,  as  wolves,  cats,  bears,  tigers,  and  lions. 
They  are  loose  in  a  deep- walled  court,  and  therefore 
to  be  seen  with  more  pleasure  than  those  at  the 
Tower  of  London,  in  their  grates.  One  of  the  lions 
leaped  to  a  surprising  height,  to  catch  a  joint  of 
mutton  which  I  caused  to  be  hung  down. 

^  There  are  many  plain  brick  towers  erected  for 
defence,  when  this  was  a  free  state.  The  highest 
is  called  the  Mangio,  standing  at  the  foot  of  the 
piazza  which  we  went  first  to  see  after  our  arrival. 
At  the  entrance  of  this  tower  is  a  chapel  open 
towards  the  piazza,  of  marble  well-adorned  with 
sculpture. 

On  the  other  side  is  the  Signoria,  or  Court  of 
Justice,  well  built  a  la  vwderne,  of  brick  ;  indeed 
the  bricks  of  Siena  are  so  well  made,  that  they 
look  almost  as  well  as  porphyry  itself,  having  a 
kind  of  natural  polish. 

In  tlie  Senate-House  is  a  very  fair  Hall  where 
they  sometimes  entertain  the  people  with  public 

^  There  seems — says  Bray — to  be    here  an  omission   in   the 
MS.  between  their  leaving  Florence  and  going  to  Siena. 
VOL.  I  L 


146  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

shows  and  operas,  as  they  call  them.  Towards  the 
left  are  the  statues  of  Komulus  and  Remus  with 
the  wolf,^  all  of  brass,  placed  on  a  column  of  ophite 
stone,  which  they  report  was  brought  from  the 
renowned  Ephesian  Temple.  These  ensigns  being 
the  arms  of  the  town,  are  set  up  in  divers  of  the 
streets  and  public  ways  both  within  and  far  without 
the  city. 

The  piazza  compasses  the  facciat a  of  the  court 
and  chapel,  and,  being  made  with  descending  steps, 
much  resembles  the  figure  of  a  scallop-shell. 
The  white  ranges  of  pavement,  intermixed  with 
the  excellent  bricks  above  mentioned,  with  which 
the  town  is  generally  well  paved,  render  it  very 
clean.  About  this  market-place  (for  so  it  is)  are 
many  fair  palaces,  though  not  built  with  excess  of 
elegance.  There  stands  an  arch,  the  work  of 
Baltazzar  di  Siena,  built  with  wonderful  ingenuity, 
so  that  it  is  not  easy  to  conceive  how  it  is  supported, 
yet  it  has  some  imperceptible  contignations,"  which 
do  not  betray  themselves  easily  to  the  eye.  On 
the  edge  of  the  piazza  is  a  goodly  fountain  beautified 
with  statues,  the  water  issuing  out  of  the  wolves' 
mouths,  being  the  work  of  Jacobo  Quercei,  a 
famous  artist.  There  are  divers  other  pubUc 
fountains  in  the  city,  of  good  design. 

After  this  we  walked  to  the  Sapienza,  which  is 
the  University,  or  rather  College,  where  the  high 
Germans  enjoy  many  particular  privileges  when 
they  addict  themselves  to  the  civil  law  :  and  indeed 
this  place  has  produced  many  excellent  scholars, 
besides  those  three  Popes,  Alexander,  Pius  II.,  and 
III.,  of  that  name,  the  learned  iEneas  Sylvius  ;  and 
both  were  of  the  ancient  house  of  the  Piccolomini. 

^  ["This  ^TOo// received  the  muzzle,"  says  Lassels,  referring 
to  the  subjection  of  the  Sienese  RepubUc  by  Florence  in  1.555 
(i.  p.  235).] 

2  [Contignation=  joining  together  (O.E.D.).] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  147 


The  chief  street  is  called  Strada  llomana,  in 
which  Pius  II.  has  built  a  most  stately  Palace  of 
square  stone,  with  an  incomparable  portico  joining- 
near  to  it.  The  town  is  commanded  by  a  castle 
which  hath  four  bastions  and  a  garrison  of  soldiers. 
Near  it  is  a  list  to  ride  horses  in,  much  frequented 
by  the  gallants  in  summer. 

Not  far  from  hence  is  the  Church  and  Convent 
of  the  Dominicans,  where  in  the  chapel  of  St. 
Catherine  of  Siena  they  show  her  head,  the  rest 
of  her  body  being  translated  to  Rome.^  The 
Duomo,  or  Cathedral,  both  without  and  within,  is 
of  large  square  stones  of  black  and  white  marble 
polished,  of  inexpressible  beauty,  as  is  the  front 
adorned  with  sculpture  and  rare  statues.  In  the 
middle  is  a  stately  cupola  and  two  columns  of 
sundry  -  streaked  coloured  marble.  About  the 
body  of  the  church,  on  a  cornice  within,  are  inserted 
the  heads  of  all  the  Popes.  The  pulpit  is  beautified 
with  marble  figures,  a  piece  of  exquisite  work  ;  but 
what  exceeds  all  description  is  the  pavement, 
where  (besides  the  various  emblems  and  other 
figures  in  the  nave)  the  choir  is  wrought  with  the 
history  of  the  Bible,  so  artificially  expressed  hi  the 
natural  colours  of  the  marbles,  that  few  pictures 
exceed  it.^  Here  stands  a  Christo,  rarely  cut  in 
marble,  and  on  the  large  high  altar  is  a  brazen 
vessel  of  admirable  invention  and  art.  The  organs 
are  exceeding  sweet  and  well  tuned.     On  the  left 

1  [Lassels  refers  to  some  of  the  traditions  respecting  St. 
Catherine  (i.  p.  239)  ;  but  Addison  wisely  says,  "  I  think  there 
is  as  much  Pleasure  in  hearing  a  Man  tell  his  Dreams,  as  in 
reading  Accounts  of  tliis  Nature"  (Remarks  on  Itali/,  1705,  p.  392).] 

2  ["  I  confesse,  I  scarce  saw  anything  in  Itali/  which  pleased 
me  better  than  this  pavement,"  says  Lassels  (i.  p.  238).  Addison 
is  not  so  enthusiastic.  "  Nothing  in  the  World  can  make  a 
prettier  Show  to  those  that  prefer  false  Beauties,  and  affected 
Ornaments,  to  a  Noble  and  Majestick  Simplicity  "  (Remarks  on 
Italy,  1705,  p.  391).] 


148  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

side  of  the  altar  is  the  hbrary,  where  are  painted 
the  acts  of  iEneas  Sylvius,  and  others  by  Raphael. 
They  showed  us  an  arm  of  St.  John  the  Baptist, 
wherewith,  they  say,  he  baptized  our  Saviour  in 
Jordan  ;  it  was  given  by  the  King  of  Peloponnesus 
to  one  of  the  Popes,  as  an  inscription  testifies. 
They  have  also  St.  Peter's  sword,  with  which  he 
smote  off  the  ear  of  Malchus. 

Just  against  the  cathedral,  we  went  into  the 
Hospital,^  where  they  entertain  and  refresh  for 
three  or  four  days,  gratis,  such  pilgrims  as  go  to 
Rome.  In  the  chapel  belonging  to  it  lies  the  body 
of  St.  Susorius,  their  founder,  as  yet  uncorrupted, 
though  dead  many  hundreds  of  years.  They  show 
one  of  the  nails  which  pierced  our  Saviour,  and 
Saint  Chrysostom's  Comment  on  the  Gospel, 
written  by  his  own  hand.  Below  the  hill  stands 
the  pool  called  Fonte  Brande,  where  fish  are  fed 
for  pleasure  more  than  food. 

St.  Francis's  Church  is  a  large  pile,  near  which, 
yet  a  little  without  the  city,  grows  a  tree  which 
they  report  in  their  legend  grew  from  the  Saint's 
staff,  which,  on  going  to  sleep,  he  fixed  in  the 
ground,  and  at  his  waking  found  it  had  grown  a 
large  tree.  They  affirm  that  the  wood  of  it  in 
decoction  cures  sundry  diseases. 

2nd  November,  We  went  from  Siena,  desirous 
of  being  present  at  the  cavalcade  of  the  new  Pope, 
Innocent  X.,^  who  had  not  yet  made  the  grand 
procession  to  St.  John  di  Laterano.^  We  set  out 
by  Porto  Romano,  the  country  all  about  the  town 
being  rare  for  hunting  and  game.     Wild  boar  and 

1  ["Erected/'  says  Addison,  "by  a  Shooe- Maker  that  has 
been  Beatify 'd^,  tho'  never  Sainted"  {Remarks  on  Italy,  1705, 
p.  391).] 

-  John  Baptista  Pamphili,  chosen  Pope  in  September,  l644^ 
died  7th  January,  l655. 

^  [See  post,  under  22nd  November,  1644.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  149 

venison  are  frequently  sold  in  the  shops  in  many 
of  the  towns  about  it.  We  passed  near  Monte 
Oliveto,  where  the  monastery  of  that  (3rder  is 
pleasantly  situated,  and  worth  seeing.  Passing 
over  a  bridge,  which,  by  the  inscription,  appears 
to  have  been  built  by  Prince  Matthias,  we  went 
through  Buon  Convento,  famous  for  the  death  of 
the  Emperor,  Henry  Yll.,  who  was  here  poisoned 
with  the  holy  Eucharist.^  Thence,  we  came  to 
Torrinieri,  where  we  dined.  This  village  is  in  a 
sweet  valley,  in  view  of  Montalchio,  famous  for 
the  rare  jNIuscatello."  After  three  miles  more,  we 
go  by  St.  Quirico,  and  lay  at  a  private  osteria  near 
it,  where,  after  we  were  provided  of  lodging,  came 
in  Cardinal  Donghi,  a  Genoese  by  birth,  now  come 
from  Rome ;  he  was  so  civil  as  to  entertain  us  with 
great  respect,  hearing  we  \vere  English,  for  that, 
he  told  us,  he  had  been  once  in  our  country. 
Amongst  other  discourse,  he  related  how  a  dove 
had  been  seen  to  sit  on  the  chair  in  the  Conclave 
at  the  election  of  Pope  Innocent,  which  he  magni- 
fied as  a  great  good  omen,  with  other  particulars 
which  we  inquired  of  him,  till  our  suppers  parted 
us.  He  came  in  great  state  with  his  own  bedstead 
and  all  the  furniture,  yet  would  by  no  means  suffer 
us  to  resign  the  room  we  had  taken  up  in  the 
lodging  before  his  arrival.  Next  morning,  we  rode 
by  Monte  Pientio,  or,  as  vulgarly  called,  Monte 
Mantumiato,  which  is  of  an  excessive  height,  ever 
and  anon  peeping  above  any  clouds  with  its  snowy 
head,  till  we  had  climbed  to  the  inn  at  Radicofani,^ 

1  [Henry  VII.,  1263-1313.  He  is  buried  in  the  Duomo  at 
Pisa  (see  post,  under  21st  May.  l()4o).] 

^  The  wine  so  called. 

2  ["A  vile  little  town  at  the  foot  of  an  old  citadel/'  says 
Walpole,  who  visited  it  in  July,  1740.  It  reminded  him  of 
Hamilton's  Bawn  in  Swift's  Grand  Question  Debated ;  and  he 
gives  a  whimsical  account  of  his  borrowing  the  only  pen  in  the 
place,  which  belonged  to  the  Governor,  and  was   sent  to  him 


150  THE  DIAKY  OF  i644 

built  by  Ferdinand,  the  great  Duke,  for  the  neces- 
sary refreshment  of  travellers  in  so  inhospitable  a 
place.  As  we  ascended,  we  entered  a  very  thick, 
solid,  and  dark  body  of  clouds,  looking  like  rocks 
at  a  little  distance,  which  lasted  near  a  mile  in 
going  up  ;  they  were  dry  misty  vapours,  hanging 
undissolved  for  a  vast  thickness,  and  obscuring 
both  the  sun  and  earth,  so  that  we  seemed  to  be 
in  the  sea  rather  than  in  the  clouds,  till,  having 
pierced  through  it,  we  came  into  a  most  serene 
heaven,  as  if  we  had  been  above  all  human  con- 
versation, the  mountain  appearing  more  like  a  great 
island  than  joined  to  any  other  hills  ;  for  we  could 
perceive  nothing  but  a  sea  of  thick  clouds  rolling 
under  our  feet  like  huge  waves,  every  now  and 
then  suffering  the  top  of  some  other  mountain  to 
peep  through,  which  we  could  discover  many  miles 
off:  and  between  some  breaches  of  the  clouds  we 
could  see  landscapes  and  villages  of  the  subjacent 
country.  This  was  one  of  the  most  pleasant,  new, 
and  altogether  surprising  objects  that  I  had  ever 
beheld.^ 

On  the  summit  of  this  horrid  rock  (for  so  it  is) 
is  built  a  very  strong  fort,  garrisoned,  and  some- 
what beneath  it  is  a  small  town  ;  the  provisions  are 
drawn  up  with  ropes  and  engines,  the  precipice 
being  otherwise  inaccessible.  At  one  end  of  the 
town  lie  heaps  of  rocks  so  strangely  broken  off 
from  the  ragged  mountain,  as  would  affright  one 

''^ under  tlie  conduct  of  a  Serjeant  and  two  Swiss"  (Tojiibee's 
Waljyoles  Letters,  19O.S,  i.  \\  74).] 

^  [Evelyn's  Diary  was  not  printed  until  long  after  Goldsmith's 
death.  But  Goldsmith  had  evidently  seen  the  same  sight  in  his 
own  wanderings ;  and  he  remembered  it  when  he  came  to  write 
in  11.  189-92  of  his  Deserted  J^illo^c— 

As  some  tall  cliff,  that  lifts  its  awful  form. 
Swells  from  the  vale,  and  midway  leaves  the  storm. 
Though  round  its  breast  the  roUinj?  clouds  are  spread. 
Eternal  sunshine  settles  on  its  head.] 


1641  JOHN  EVELYN  151 

with  their  horror  and  menacing  postures.  Just 
opposite  to  the  inn  gushed  out  a  plentiful  and  most 
useful  fountain  which  falls  into  a  great  trough  of 
stone,  bearing  the  Duke  of  Tuscany 's  arms.  Here 
we  dined,  and  I  with  my  black  lead  pen  took  the 
prospect.^  It  is  one  of  the  utmost  confines  of  the 
Etrurian  State  towards  St.  Peter's  Patrimony, 
since  the  gift  of  Matilda  to  Gregory  VII.,  as  is 
pretended. 

Here  we  pass  a  stone  bridge,  built  by  Pope 
Gregory  XIV.,  and  thence  immediately  to  Acqua- 
pendente,^  a  town  situated  on  a  very  ragged  rock, 
down  which  precipitates  an  entire  river  (which 
gives  it  the  denomination),  with  a  most  horrid 
roaring  noise.  We  lay  at  the  post-house,  on  which 
is  this  inscription  : 

L'  Insegna  della  Posta,  e  posta  a  posta, 
In  questa  posta,  fin  che  habbia  k  sua  posta 
Ogn'  iin  Cavallo  a  Vetturi  in  Posta. 

Before  it  was  dark,  we  went  to  see  the  Monastery 
of  the  Franciscans,  famous  for  six  learned  Popes, 
and  sundry  other  great  scholars,  especially  the 
renowned  physician  and  anatomist,  Fabricius  de 
Acquapendente,  who  was  bred  and  born  there.^ 

4!th  Novembe7\  After  a  little  riding,  we  de- 
scended towards  the  Lake  of  Bolsena,  which  being 
above  twenty  miles  in  circuit,  yields  from  hence  a 
most  incomparable  prospect.  Near  the  middle  of 
it  are  two  small  islands,  in  one  of  which  is  a 
convent  of  melancholy  Capuchins,  where  those  of 
the  Farnesian  family  are  interred.  Pliny  calls  it 
Tarquiniens'is  IjCicus,  and  talks  of  divers  floating 
islands   about  it,  but  they  did  not  appear  to  us. 

^  An  etching  of  it,  with  others,  is  in  the  Hbrary  at  Wotton. 

2  Some  twelve  miles  from  the  Great  Duke's  inn,  according  to 
Lassels,  i.  p.  241. 

3  [Jerome  Fabricius,  1537-l6l9.] 


152  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

The  lake  is  environed  with  mountains,  at  one  of 
whose  sides  we  passed  towards  the  town  Bolsena, 
anciently  Volsinium,  famous  in  those  times,  as  is 
testified  by  divers  rare  sculptures  in  the  court  of 
St.  Christiana's  church,  the  urn,  altar,  and  jasper 
columns. 

After  seven  miles'  riding,  passing  through  a 
wood  heretofore  sacred  to  Juno,  we  came  to 
Montefiascone,  the  head  of  the  Falisci,  a  famous 
people  in  old  time,  and  heretofore  Falernum,  as 
renowned  for  its  excellent  wine,  as  now  for  the 
story  of  the  Dutch  Bishop,^  who  lies  buried  in  St. 
Flavian's  church  with  this  epitaph  : 

Propter  Est,  Est,  dominus  meus  mortuus  est. 

Because,  having  ordered  his  servant  to  ride  before, 
and  inquire  where  the  best  wine  was,  and  there 
write  EsU  the  man  found  some  so  good  that  he 
wrote  Est,  Est,  upon  the  vessels,  and  the  Bishop 
drinking  too  much  of  it,  died. 

From  Montefiascone,  we  travel  a  plain  and 
pleasant  champaign  to  Viterbo,  which  presents  itself 
with  much  state  afar  off,  in  regard  of  her  many 
lofty  pinnacles  and  towers ;  neither  does  it  deceive 
our  expectation  ;  for  it  is  exceedingly  beautified 
with  public  fountains,  especially  that  at  the  entrance, 
which  is  all  of  brass  and  adorned  with  many  rare 
figures,  and  salutes  the  passenger  with  a  most 
agreeable  object  and  refreshing  waters.     There  are 

^  [Lassels,  who  vouches  for  the  story,  calls  hiin  simply  "  a 
Dutchnimi  of  condition  "  (i.  pp.  244-45).  An  old  Guide  Voyagcur 
of  1775  adds  (p.  121)  some  decorative  details: — "  Le  plus  beau, 
c'est  que  cet  Eveque  ordonna  en  mourant  que  tous  les  ans  a  la 
troisieme  f^te  de  la  Pentecote,  jour  de  son  anniversaire,  on 
jettat  sur  sa  tombe  deux  barils  de  ce  vin ;  ce  qui  a  ete  execute 
jusqu'^  nos  jours  que  cette  fondation  peu  digne  d'un  Eveque  a 
ete  changee  en  pain  &  autres  choses  que  Ton  donne  aux  Pauvres." 
The  same  authority  gives  the  Bishop's  name  as  Johannes  de 
P^ouchris  or  Touchris.] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  153 


many  Popes  buried  in  tliis  city,  and  in  the  palace 
is  this  odd  inscription  : 

Osiriclis  victoriam  in  Gigantes  litteris  historiographicis 
in  hoc  antiquissinio  marniore  inscriptain,  ex  Herculis  ohm, 
nunc  Divi  Laurentij  Teniplo  translatain,  ad  conversam : 
vetustiss :  patriae  monumenta  atcj'  decora  hie  locanduni 
statuit  S.P.Q.V. 

Under  it : 

Sum    Osiris    Rex  Sum    Osiris    Rex  Sum    Osiris    Rex 

Jupiter  universo  in      qui  ab  Itala  in  Gi-      qu  terrarum  pacata 

terrarum  orbe.  gantes   exercitus      Italiam  decern  a'nos 

veni,  vidij  et  vici.  quorum  inventor 

fui. 

Near  the  town  is  a  sulphureous  fountain,  which 
continually  boils.  After  dinner  we  took  horse  by 
the  new  way  of  Capranica,  and  so  passing  near 
Mount  Ciminus  and  the  Lake,  we  began  to  enter 
the  plains  of  Rome ;  at  which  sight  my  thoughts 
were  strangely  elevated,  but  soon  allayed  by  so 
violent  a  shower,  which  fell  just  as  we  were  con- 
templating that  proud  mistress  of  the  world,  and 
descending  by  the  Vatican  (for  at  that  gate  we 
entered),  that  before  we  got  into  the  city  I  was 
wet  to  the  skin. 

I  came  to  Rome  on  the  4th  November,  1644, 
iibout  five  at  night ;  and  being  perplexed  for  a  con- 
venient lodging,  wandered  up  and  down  on  horse- 
back, till  at  last  one  conducted  us  to  Monsieur 
Petit's,  a  Frenchman,  near  the  Piazza  Spagnola. 
Here  I  alighted,  and,  having  bargained  with  my 
liost  for  twenty  crowns  a  month,  I  caused  a  good 
tire  to  be  made  in  my  chamber  and  went  to  bed, 
being  so  very  wet.  The  next  morning  (for  I  was 
resolved  to  spend  no  time  idly  here)  I  got  acquainted 
with  several  persons  who  had  long  lived  at  Rome. 
I  was  especially  recommended  to  Father  John,  a 
Benedictine  monk  and  Superior  of  his  Order  for 
the  English  College  of  Douay,  a  person  of  singular 


154  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


learning,  religion,  and  humanity ;  also  to  Mr. 
Patrick  Gary,  an  Abbot,  brother  to  our  learned 
Lord  Falkland,  a  witty  young  priest,  who  after- 
wards came  over  to  our  church ;  Dr.  Bacon  and 
Dr.  Gibbs,^  physicians  who  had  dependence  on 
Cardinal  Caponi,  the  latter  being  an  excellent  poet ; 
Father  Courtney,  the  chief  of  the  Jesuits  in  the 
English  College ;  my  Lord  of  Somerset,  brother  to 
the  Marquis  of  Worcester  ;  ^  and  some  others,  from 
whom  I  received  instructions  how  to  behave  in 
town,  with  directions  to  masters  and  books  to  take 
in  search  of  the  antiquities,  churches,  collections, 
etc.  Accordingly,  the  next  day,  November  6,  I 
began  to  be  very  pragmatical." 

In  the  first  place,  our  sights-man^  (for  so  they 
name  certain  persons  here  who  get  their  living  by 
leading  strangers  about  to  see  the  city)  went  to  the 
Palace  Farnese,  a  magnificent  square  structure, 
built  by  Michael  Angelo,  of  the  three  orders  of 
columns  after  the  ancient  manner,  and  when  archi- 
tecture was  but  newly  recovered  from  the  Gothic 
barbarity.  The  court  is  square  and  terraced,  having 
two  pair  of  stairs  which  lead  to  the  upper  rooms, 
and  conducted  us  to  that  famous  gallery  painted 

^  James  Alban  Gibbs — says  Bray — a  Scotchman  bred  at 
Oxford,  and  resident  many  years  at  Rome,  where  he  died  1677, 
and  M^as  buried  in  the  Pantheon  there  with  an  epitaph  to  his 
memory  under  a  marble  bust.  He  was  an  extraordinary  char- 
acter. In  Wood's  Athenae  is  a  long  account  of  him,  and  some 
curious  additional  particulars  will  be  found  in  Warton's  Life 
of  Dr.  Bat  hunt.  He  was  a  writer  of  Latin  poetry,  a  small  col- 
lection of  which  he  published  at  Rome,  with  his  portrait. 

2  Tliomas,  third  son  of  Edward,  fourth  Earl  of  Worcester, 
made  a  Knight  of  the  Bath  by  James  I.,  and  in  I626  created 
Viscount  Somerset,  of  Cashel,  Co.  Tipperary.     He  died  in  l651. 

^  I.e.  "Very  active  and  full  of  business," — in  viewing  the 
antiquities  and  beauties  of  Rome.  Bailey  gives  "practical"  as 
the  first  meaning  of  this  word  (see  also  postj  under  8th  November, 
1644). 

*  The  name  for  these  gentlemen  is  cicerone,  but  they  affect 
universally  the  title  of  antiquaries. 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  155 


by  Augustine  Caracci/  than  which  nothing  is  more 
rare  of  that  art ;  so  deep  and  well-studied  are  all 
the  figures,  that  it  would  recjuire  more  judgment 
than  I  confess  I  had,  to  determine  whether  they 
were  fiat  or  embossed.  Thence,  we  passed  into 
another,  painted  in  chiaroscuro,  representing  the 
fabulous  history  of  Hercules.  We  went  out  on  a 
terrace,  where  was  a  pretty  garden  on  the  leads, 
for  it  is  built  in  a  place  that  has  no  extent  of 
ground  backwards.  The  great  hall  is  wrought  by 
Salviati  and  Zuccaro,  furnished  with  statues,  one 
of  which  being  modern  is  the  figure  of  a  Farnese, 
in  a  triumphant  posture,  of  white  marble,  worthy 
of  admiration.  Here  we  were  sliowed  the  museum 
of  Fulvius  Ursinos,  replete  with  innumerable  collec- 
tions ;  but  the  major-domo  being  absent,  we  could 
not  at  this  time  see  all  we  wished.  Descending 
into  the  court,  we  with  astonishment  contemplated 
those  two  incomparable  statues  of  Hercules  and 
Flora,^  so  much  celebrated  by  Pliny,  and  indeed  by 
all  antiquity,  as  two  of  the  most  rare  pieces  in  the 
world :  there  likewise  stands  a  modern  statue  of 
Hercules  and  two  Gladiators,  not  to  be  despised. 
In  a  second  court  was  a  temporary  shelter  of 
boards  over  the  most  stupendous  and  never-to-be- 
sufficiently-admired  Torso  of  Amphion  and  Dirce," 
represented  in  five  figures,  exceeding  the  life  in 
magnitude,  of  the  purest  white  marble,  the  con- 
tending work  of  those  famous  statuaries,  ApoUonius 
and  Taurisco,  in  the  time  of  Augustus,  hewed  out 
of  one  entire  stone,  and  remaining  unblemished,  to 

^  [Annibale  Caracci.  Lodovico  and  Agostino  assisted  him, — 
Agostino  painting  the  "Triumph  of  Galatea"  and  "  Cephahis 
and  Aurora."] 

2  [Both  these  statues  are  now  in  the  Museo  Nazionale  at 
Naples.] 

3  [The  Toro  Farnese  was  transferred  in  1786  to  the  Museo 
Nazionale  at  Naples.  Addison  mentions  this  famous  group  ;  but 
only  to  remember  a  passage  in  Seneca,  the  tragedian.] 


156  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

be  valued  beyond  all  the  marbles  of  the  world  for 
its  antiquity  and  workmanship.  There  are  divers 
otlier  heads  and  busts.  At  the  entrance  of  this 
stately  palace  stand  two  rare  and  vast  fountains 
of  garnito  stone,  brought  into  this  piazza  out  of 
Titus's  Baths.  Here,  in  summer,  the  gentlemen  of 
Rome  take  the  fresco  in  their  coaches  and  on 
foot.  At  the  sides  of  this  court,  we  visited  the 
Palace  of  Signor  Pichini,  who  has  a  good  collec- 
tion of  antiquities,  especially  the  Adonis  of  Parian 
marble,  which  my  Lord  Arundel  would  once 
have  purchased,  if  a  great  price  would  have  been 
taken  for  it. 

We  went  into  the  Campo  Vaccino,  by  the  ruins 
of  the  Temple  of  Peace,  built  by  Titus  Vespasian  us, 
and  thought  to  be  the  largest  as  well  as  the  most 
richly  furnished  of  all  the  Roman  dedicated  places  : 
it  is  now  a  heap  rather  than  a  temple,  yet  the  roof 
and  volto  continue  firm,  showing  it  to  have  been 
formerly  of  incomparable  workmanship.  This 
goodly  structure  was,  none  knows  how,  consumed 
by  fire  the  very  night,  by  all  computation,  that  our 
blessed  Saviour  was  born. 

From  hence,  we  passed  by  the  place  into  which 
Curtius  precipitated  himself  for  the  love  of  his 
country,  now  without  any  sign  of  a  lake,  or  vorago. 
Near  this  stand  some  columns  of  white  marble,  of 
exquisite  work,  supposed  to  be  part  of  the  Temple 
of  Jupiter  Tonans,  built  by  Augustus  ;  the  work 
of  the  capitals  (being  Corinthian)  and  architrave  is 
excellent,  full  of  sacrificing  utensils.  There  are 
three  other  of  Jupiter  Stator.  Opposite  to  these 
are  the  oratories,  or  churches,  of  St.  Cosmo  and 
Damiano,  heretofore  the  Temples  of  Romulus ;  a 
pretty  old  fabric,  with  a  tribunal,  or  tholus  within, 
wrought  all  of  Mosaic.  The  gates  before  it  are 
brass,  and  the  whole  much  obliged  to  Pope  Urban 
VIII.     In  this  sacred  place  lie  the  bodies  of  those 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  157 

two  martyrs  ;  and  in  a  chapel  on  the  right  hand  is 
a  rare  painting  of  Cavahere  BagHoni. 

AVe  next  entered  St.  Lorenzo  in  JNIiranda.  The 
portico  is  supported  by  a  range  of  most  stately 
columns ;  the  inscription  cut  in  the  architrave 
shows  it  to  have  been  the  Temple  of  Faustina.^  It 
is  now  made  a  fair  church,  and  has  an  hospital 
which  joins  it.  On  the  same  side  is  St.  Adriano, 
heretofore  dedicated  to  Saturn.  Before  this  was 
once  placed  a  military  column,  supposed  to  be  set 
in  the  centre  of  the  city,  from  whence  they  used 
to  compute  the  distance  of  all  the  cities  and  places 
of  note  under  the  dominion  of  those  universal 
monarchs.  To  this  church  are  likewise  brazen 
gates  and  a  noble  front ;  just  opposite  we  saw  the 
heaps  and  ruins  of  Cicero's  Palace.  Hence  we 
went  towards  Mons  Capitolinus,  at  the  foot  of 
which  stands  the  arch  of  Septimus  Severn s,  full 
and  entire,  save  where  the  pedestal  and  some  of 
the  lower  members  are  choked  up  with  ruins  and 
earth.  This  arch  is  exceedingly  enriched  with 
sculpture  and  trophies,  with  a  large  inscription. 
In  the  terrestrial  and  naval  battles  here  graven,  is 
seen  the  Roman  Aries  [the  battering-ram] ;  and 
this  was  the  first  triumphal  arch  set  up  in  Rome. 
The  Capitol,  to  which  we  climbed  by  very  broad 
steps,  is  built  about  a  square  court,  at  the  right 
hand  of  which,  going  up  from  Campo  Vaccino. 
gushes  a  plentiful  stream  from  the  statue  of  Tiber, 
in  porphyry,  very  antique,  and  another  represent- 
ing Rome ;  but,  above  all,  is  the  admirable  figure 
of  Marforius,  casting  water  into  a  most  ample 
concha.  The  front  of  this  court  is  crowned  with 
an  excellent  fabric  containing  the  Courts  of  Justice^ 

1  [Faustina  the  elder,  the  infamous  wife  of  Antoninus  Pius. 
"Poore  man  I" — comments  Lassels — "he  could  not  make  [her] 
an  honest  wotnan  in  her  lifetime,  and  yet  he  would  needs  make 
her  a  Goddesse  after  her  death  "  (ii.  l.'^4.).] 


158  THE  DIARY  OF  iqu 

and  where  the  Criminal  Notary  sits,  and  others. 
In  one  of  the  halls  they  show  the  statues  of 
Gregory  XIII.  and  Paul  III.,  with  several  others. 
To  this  joins  a  handsome  tower,  the  whole  facciata 
adorned  with  noble  statues,  both  on  the  outside 
and  on  the  battlements,  ascended  by  a  double  pair 
of  stairs,  and  a  stately  posario. 

In  the  centre  of  the  court  ^  stands  that  in- 
comparable horse  bearing  the  Emperor  Marcus 
Aurelius,  as  big  as  the  life,  of  Corinthian  metal, 
placed  on  a  pedestal  of  marble,  esteemed  one  of 
the  noblest  pieces  of  work  now  extant,  antique  and 
very  rare.  There  is  also  a  vast  head  of  a  colossean 
magnitude,  of  white  marble,  fixed  in  the  wall.  At 
the  descending  stairs  are  set  two  horses  of  white 
marble  governed  by  two  naked  slaves,  taken  to 
be  Castor  and  Pollux,  brought  from  Pompey's 
Theatre.  On  the  balustrade,  the  trophies  of 
Marius  against  the  Cimbrians,  very  ancient  and 
instructive.  At  the  foot  of  the  steps  towards  the 
left  hand  is  that  Colonna  Miliaria,  with  the  globe 
of  brass  on  it,  mentioned  to  have  been  formerly 
set  in  Campo  Vaccino.  On  the  same  hand,  is  the 
Palace  of  the  Segniori  Conservatori,  or  three 
Consuls,  now  the  civil  governors  of  the  city, 
containing  the  fraternities,  or  halls  and  guilds  (as 
we  call  them)  of  sundry  companies,  and  other 
offices  of  state.  Under  the  portico  within,  are  the 
statues  of  Augustus  Cassar,  a  Bacchus,  and  the  so 
renowned  Colonna  Rostrata  of  Duillius,  with  the 
excellent  basso-riUevos.  In  a  smaller  court,  the 
statue  of  Constantine,  on  a  fountain,  a  JNIinervas 
head  of  brass,  and  that  of  Commodus,  to  which 
belongs  a  hand,  the  tlmmb  whereof  is  at  least  an 
ell  long,  and  yet  proportionable  ;  but  the  rest  of  the 
coloss  is  lost.  In  the  corner  of  this  court  stand 
a  horse  and  lion  fighting,  as  big  as  life,  in  white 
^  [The  Piazza  del  Campidoglio.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  159 

marble,  exceedingly  valued  ;  likewise  the  Rape  of 
the  Sabines ;  two  cumbent  ^  figures  of  Alexander 
and  Mammea  ;  two  monstrous  feet  of  a  coloss  of 
Apollo ;  the  Sepulchre  of  Agrippina ;  and  the 
standard,  or  antique  measure,  of  the  Roman  foot. 
Ascending  by  the  steps  of  the  other  corner,  are 
inserted  four  bassO'Vilievos,  viz.  the  triumph  and 
sacrifice  of  Marcus  Aurelius,  which  last,  for  the 
antiquity  and  rareness  of  the  work,  I  caused  my 
painter.  Carlo  Neapolitano,"  to  copy.  There  are 
also  two  statues  of  the  Muses,  and  one  of  Adrian, 
the  Emperor :  above  stands  the  figure  of  Marius, 
and  by  the  wall  Marsyas  bound  to  a  tree  ;  all  of 
them  excellent  and  antique.  Above  in  the  lobby, 
are  inserted  into  the  walls  those  ancient  laws,  on 
brass,  called  the  Twelve  Tables ;  a  fair  Madonna 
of  Pietro  Perugino,  painted  on  the  wall ;  near 
which  are  the  archives,  full  of  ancient  records. 

In  the  great  hall  are  divers  excellent  paintings 
of  Cavaliero  Giuseppe  d'  Arpino,  a  statue  in  brass 
of  Sixtus  V.  and  of  Leo  X.,  of  marble.  In  another 
hall,  are  many  modern  statues  of  their  late  Consuls 
and  Governors,  set  about  with  fine  antique  heads ; 
others  are  painted  by  excellent  masters,  represent- 
ing the  actions  of  M.  Scsevola,  Horatius  Codes, 
etc. — The  room  where  the  Conservatori  now^  feast 
upon  solemn  days,  is  tapestried  with  crimson 
damask,  embroidered  with  gold,  having  a  state  ^  or 
baldacchino  of  crimson  velvet,  very  rich  ;  the  frieze 
above  rarely  painted.  Here  are  in  brass,  Romulus 
and  Remus  sucking  the  wolf,  of  brass,  with  the 
Shepherd,  Faustulus,  by  them  ;  also  the  boy  pluck- 

^  [Reclining.     Lassels  also  uses  this  word.] 

-  \See  post,  under  14th  November,  1644.  Three  only  of  the 
reliefs  relate  to  Marcus  Aurelius.  That  copied  for  Evelyn 
represents  the  "  Sacrifice  in  front  of  the  Capitoline  Temple  of 
Jupiter."] 

2  [A  canopy  of  state.  See  post,  under  18th  January,  1645, 
account  of  the  Vatican.] 


160  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


ing  the  thorn  out  of  his  foot,  of  brass,  so  much 
admired  by  artists/  There  are  also  holy  statues 
and  heads  of  Saints.  In  a  gallery  near  adjoining 
are  the  names  of  the  ancient  Consuls,  Praetors,  and 
Fasti  Romani,  so  celebrated  by  the  learned :  also 
the  figure  of  an  old  woman ;  two  others  represent- 
ing Poverty  ;  and  more  in  fragments.  In  another 
large  room,  furnished  with  velvet,  are  the  statue 
of  Adonis,  very  rare,  and  divers  antique  heads.  In 
the  next  chamber,  is  an  old  statue  of  Cicero,  one 
of  another  Consul,  a  Hercules  in  brass,  two  women's 
heads  of  incomparable  work,  six  other  statues  ;  and, 
over  the  chimney,  a  very  rare  basso-rilievo,  and 
other  figures.  In  a  little  lobby  before  the  chapel, 
is  the  statue  of  Hannibal,  a  Bacchus  very  antique, 
bustos  of  Pan  and  Mercury,  with  other  old  heads. 
— All  these  noble  statues,  etc.,  belong  to  the  city, 
and  cannot  be  disposed  of  to  any  private  person, 
or  removed  hence,  but  are  preserved  for  the  honour 
of  the  place,  though  great  sums  have  been  offered 
for  them  by  divers  Princes,  lovers  of  art  and 
antiquity.  We  now  left  the  Capitol,  certainly  one 
of  the  most  renowned  places  in  the  world,  even  as 
now  built  by  the  design  of  the  famous  M.  Angelo. 
Returning  home  by  Ara  Coeli,  we  mounted  to  it 
by  more  than  100  marble  steps,  not  hi  devotion,  as 
I  observed  some  to  do  on  their  bare  knees,  but  to 
see  those  two  famous  statues  of  Constantine,  in 
white  marble,  placed  tliere  out  of  his  baths.  In 
this  church  is  a  Madonna,  reported  to  be  painted 
by  St.  Luke,  and  a  column,  on  which  we  saw  the 
print  of  a  foot,  which  they  affirm  to  have  been 
that  of  the  Angel,  seen  on  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo. 
Here  the  feast  of  our  Blessed   Saviour's  nativitv 

^  [The  Spinario  (Thorn-extractor),  or  Shepherd  Martius, 
attributed  to  Boethos  of  Chalcedon.  There  are  versions  in  the 
Vatican,  at  Florence,  and  (of  a  somewhat  different  character)  in 
the  British  Museum.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  161 

being  yearly  celebrated  with  divers  pageants,  they 
began  to  make  the  preparation.  Having  viewed 
the  Palace  and  fountain,  at  the  other  side  of  the 
stairs,  we  returned  weary  to  our  lodgings. 

On  the  7th  November,  we  went  again  near  the 
Capitol,  towards  the  Tarpeian  rock,  where  it  has 
a  goodly  prospect  of  the  Tiber.  Thence,  descend- 
ing by  the  Tullianum,  where  they  told  us  St. 
Peter  was  imprisoned,  they  showed  us  a  chapel 
(S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli)  in  which  a  rocky  side  of  it 
bears  the  impression  of  his  face.  In  the  nave  of 
the  church  gushes  a  fountain,  which  they  say  was 
caused  by  the  Apostle's  prayers,  when  having 
converted  some  of  his  fellow -captives  he  wanted 
water  to  make  them  Christians.  The  painting  of 
the  Ascension  is  by  Raphael.  We  then  walked 
about  Mount  Palatinus  and  the  Aventine,  and 
thence  to  the  Circus  Maximus,  capable  of  holding 
40,000  spectators,  now  a  heap  of  ruins,  converted 
into  gardens.  Then  by  the  Forum  Boarium, 
where  they  have  a  tradition  that  Hercules  slew 
Cacus,  some  ruins  of  his  temple  remaining.  The 
Temple  of  Janus  Quadrifrons,  having  four  arches, 
importing  the  four  Seasons,  and  on  each  side  niches 
for  the  months,  is  still  a  substantial  and  pretty 
entire  antiquity.  Near  to  this  is  the  Arcus 
Argentariorum.  Bending  now  towards  the  Tiber, 
we  went  into  the  Theatre  of  Marcellus,  which 
would  hold  80,000  persons,  built  by  Augustus,  and 
dedicated  to  his  nephew  ;  the  architecture,  from 
what  remains,  appears  to  be  inferior  to  none.  It  is 
now  wholly  converted  into  the  house  of  the  Savelli, 
one  of  the  old  Roman  families.  The  people  were 
now  generally  busy  in  erecting  temporary  triumphs 
and  arches  with  statues  and  flattering  inscriptions 
against  his  Holiness's  grand  procession  to  St.  John 
di  Laterano,  amongst  which  the  Jews  also  began 
one  in  testimony  of  gratitude  for  their  protection 

VOL.  I  M 


162  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

under  the  Papal  State.  The  Palazzo  Barberini, 
designed  by  the  present  Pope's  architect,  Cavaliero 
Bernini,  seems  from  the  size  to  be  as  princely  an 
object,  as  any  modern  building  in  Europe.  It  has 
a  double  portico,  at  the  end  of  which  we  ascended 
by  two  pair  of  oval  stairs,  all  of  stone,  and  void  in 
the  well.  One  of  these  led  us  into  a  stately  hall, 
the  volto  whereof  was  newly  painted  a  fi^esco,  by 
the  rare  hand  of  Pietro  Berretini  il  Cortone.  To 
this  is  annexed  a  gallery  completely  furnished  with 
whatever  art  can  call  rare  and  singular,  and  a 
library  full  of  worthy  collections,  medals,  marbles, 
and  manuscripts ;  but,  above  all,  an  Egyptian 
Osyris,  remarkable  for  its  unknown  material  and 
antiquity.  In  one  of  the  rooms  near  this  hangs 
the  Sposaliccio  of  St.  Sebastian,  the  original  of 
Annibale  Caracci,  of  which  I  procured  a  copy,  little 
inferior  to  the  prototype  ;  a  table,  in  my  judgment, 
superior  to  anything  I  had  seen  in  Rome.  In  the 
court  is  a  vast  broken  guglia,  or  obelisk,  having 
divers  hieroglyphics  cut  on  it. 

Stii  November.  We  visited  the  Jesuits'  Church, 
the  front  whereof  is  esteemed  a  noble  piece  of 
architecture,  the  design  of  Jacomo  della  Porta 
and  the  famous  Vignola.  In  this  church  lies  the 
body  of  their  renowned  Ignatius  Loyola,  an  arm 
of  Xaverius,  their  other  Apostle ;  and,  at  the  right 
end  of  their  high  altar,  their  champion,  Cardinal 
Bellarmin.^      Here   Father   Kircher'  (professor  of 

1  [Cardinal  Robert  Bellarmin,  1542-1621.] 

2  Athanasius  Kircher  was  born  at  Gey  sen,  near  Fulda,  in 
Germany,  early  in  l602.  He  received  his  education  at  Wiirzburg, 
and  entered  the  Order  of  Jesuits.  He  became  a  good  scholar  in 
Oriental  literature,  and  an  admirable  mathematician ;  but  he 
directed  his  attention  particularly  to  the  study  of  hieroglyphics. 
Father  Kircher's  works  on  various  abstruse  subjects  amount  to 
twenty  folio  volumes,  for  which  he  acquired  great  renown  in 
his  day.  On  Evelyn's  visit  to  Rome,  he  was  considered  one  of 
the  greatest  mathematicians  and  Hebrew  scholars  of  which  the 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  163 


Mathematics  and  the  oriental  tongues)  showed  us 
many  singular  courtesies,  leading  us  into  their 
refectory,  dispensatory,  laboratory,  gardens,  and 
finally  (through  a  hall  hung  round  with  pictures  of 
such  of  their  order  as  had  been  executed  for  their 
pragmatical^  and  busy  adventures)  into  his  own 
study,'^  where,  with  Dutch  patience,  he  showed  us 
his  perpetual  motions,  catoptrics,  magnetical  experi- 
ments, models,  and  a  thousand  other  crotchets  and 
devices,  most  of  them  since  published  by  himself, 
or  his  industrious  scholar,  Schotti.^ 

Returning  home,  we  had  time  to  view  the 
Palazzo  de  Medicis,  which  was  an  house  of  the 
Duke  of  Florence  near  our  lodging,  upon  the  brow 
of  JNlons  Pincius,  having  a  fine  prospect  towards 
the  Campo  Marzo.  It  is  a  magnificent,  strong 
building,  with  a  substruction  very  remarkable,  and 

metropolis  of  Christianity — then  the  headquarters  of  learning 
— could  boast.  He  died  at  Rome  in  168O  (see  post,  under  21st 
August^  1655). 

1  [See  ante,  p.  154.] 

2  Twenty  years  later,  Edward  Browne  was  also  admitted  to 
this  sanctum.  "  I  have  seen  Kircher/'  he  writes  to  his  father, 
Sir  Thomas,  in  January,  l665, — "who  was  extremely  courteous 
and  civill  to  us,  and  his  closet  of  raritys ;  the  most  considerable, 
and  which  I  never  saw  in  any  other,  are  his  engines  for  attempt- 
ing perpetuall  motions,  and  other  pretty  inventions,  which  I 
understande  much  the  better  for  haveing  read  Doctor  Wilkins' 
Mechanicall  Powers.  His  head  that  speaks,  and  which  hee  calls 
his  Oraculum  Delphicum,  is  no  great  matter.  Hee  hath  the 
modell  of  all  the  obelisks,  and  hath  invented  one  himself  for  the 
Queen.  Ventiducts,  aqueducts,  and  making  instruments,  are 
seene  neatly  performed  in  so  litle  a  space.  A  Clepsydra  hee  hath, 
pictures  of  many  famous  men,  and  most  of  those  raritys  which 
are  seen  in  other  Musaeums  "  (Browne's  Works,  by  Wilkins,  1836, 
i.  87).] 

^  Caspar  Schott,  a  native  of  Wiirzburg,  where  he  was  born 
in  I6O8,  who  had  the  advantage  of  being  the  favourite  pupil  of 
Father  Kircher.  He  taught  philosophy  and  mathematics  at 
Rome  and  Palermo,  and  published  several  curious  and  erudite 
works  in  philosophy  and  natural  history  ;  but  they  have  long  since 
ceased  to  possess  any  authority.     He  died  in  I666. 


164  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


a  portico  supported  with  columns  towards  the 
gardens,  with  two  huge  lions,  of  marble,  at  the 
end  of  the  balustrade.  The  whole  outside  of  the 
facciata  is  incrusted  with  antique  and  rare  basso- 
rilievos  and  statues.  Descending  into  the  garden 
is  a  noble  fountain  governed  by  a  Mercury  of 
brass.  At  a  little  distance,  on  the  left,  is  a  lodge 
full  of  fine  statues,  amongst  which  the  Sabines, 
antique  and  singularly  rare.  In  the  arcade  near 
this  stand  twenty -four  statues  of  great  price,  and 
hard  by  is  a  mount  planted  with  cypresses,  repre- 
senting a  fortress,  with  a  goodly  fountain  in  the 
middle.  Here  is  also  a  row  balustred  with  white 
marble,  covered  over  with  the  natural  shrubs,  ivy, 
and  other  perennial  greens,  divers  statues  and  heads 
being  placed  as  in  niches.  At  a  little  distance  are 
those  famed  statues  of  Niobe  and  her  family,  in  all 
fifteen,  as  large  as  the  life,  of  which  we  have  ample 
mention  in  Pliny,^  esteemed  among  the  best  pieces 
of  work  in  the  world  for  the  passions  they  express, 
and  all  other  perfections  of  that  stupendous  art. 
There  is  likewise  in  this  garden  a  fair  obelisk,  full 
of  hieroglyphics.  In  going  out,  the  fountain  before 
the  front  casts  water  near  fifty  feet  in  height, 
when  it  is  received  in  a  most  ample  marble  basin. 
Here  they  usually  rode  the  great  horse  every 
morning ;  which  gave  me  much  diversion  from  the 
terrace  of  my  own  chamber,  where  I  could  see  all 
their  motions.  This  evening,  I  was  invited  to  hear 
rare  music  at  the  Chiesa  Nuova ;  the  black  marble 
pillars  within  led  us  to  that  most  precious  oratory 
of  Philippus  Nerius,  their  founder ;  they  being 
of  the  oratory  of  secular  priests,  under  no  vow. 
There  are  in  it  divers  good  pictures,  as  the 
Assumption  of  Girolamo  Mutiano ;  the  Crucifix  ; 

1  \Nat,  Hist,  xxxvi.  28.  After  passing  through  various  hands, 
the  Niobe  statues  were  acquired  in  1775  by  Leopold,  Grand 
Duke  of  Tuscany,  and  are  now  in  the  Uffizi  Palace  at  Florence.} 


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1644  JOHN  EVELYN  165 

the  Visitation  of  Elizabeth  ;  the  Presentation  of 
the  Blessed  Virgin  ;  "  Christo  Sepolto,"  of  Guido 
Reni,  Caravaggio,  Arpino,  and  others.  This  fair 
church  consists  of  fourteen  altars,  and  as  many 
chapels.  In  it  is  buried  (besides  their  Saint)  Caesar 
Baronius,  the  great  annalist.^  Through  this,  we 
went  into  the  sacristia,  where,  the  tapers  being 
lighted,  one  of  the  Order  preached ;  after  him 
stepped  up  a  child  of  eight  or  nine  years  old,  who 
pronounced  an  oration  with  so  much  grace,  that  1 
never  was  better  pleased  than  to  hear  Italian  so 
well  and  so  intelligently  spoken.  This  course  it 
seems  they  frequently  use,  to  bring  their  scholars 
to  a  habit  of  speaking  distinctly,  and  forming  their 
action  and  assurance,  which  none  so  much  want  as 
ours  in  England.  This  being  finished,  began  their 
motettos,  which  in  a  lofty  cupola  richly  painted, 
were  sung  by  eunuchs,  and  other  rare  voices, 
accompanied  by  theorbos,  harpsichords,  and  viols, 
so  that  we  were  even  ravished  with  the  entertain- 
ment of  the  evening.  This  room  is  painted  by 
Cortona,  and  has  in  it  two  figures  in  the  niches, 
and  the  church  stands  in  one  of  the  most  stately 
streets  of  Rome. 

\^th  November,  We  went  to  see  Prince 
Ludovisi's  villa, ^  where  was  formerly  the  Viri- 
darium  of  the  poet  Sallust.  The  house  is  very 
magnificent,  and  the  extent  of  the  ground  exceed- 
ingly large,  considering  that  it  is  in  a  city ;  in 
every  quarter  of  the  garden  are  antique  statues, 
and  walks  planted  with  cypress.  To  this  garden 
belongs  a  house  of  retirement,  built  in  the  figure 

1  [Cardinal  Caesar  Baronius,  1538-l607.  His  "incomparable 
Ecclesiastical  History"  is  often  quoted  by  Lassels.  He  was  a  priest 
of  this  house.] 

^  [The  remains  of  the  Villa  of  Sallust  were  blown  up  in  1884- 
1885;  and  the  Villa  Ludovisi  has  now  been  pulled  down  for 
building  purposes.] 


166  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


of  a  cross,  after  a  particular  ordonnance,  especially 
the  staircase.  The  whiteness  and  smoothness  of 
the  excellent  pargeting  was  a  thing  I  much 
observed,  being  almost  as  even  and  polished,  as  if 
it  had  been  of  marble.  Above,  is  a  fair  prospect 
of  the  city.  In  one  of  the  chambers  hang  two 
famous  pieces  of  Bassano,  the  one  a  Vulcan,  the 
other  a  Nativity ;  there  is  a  German  clock  full  of 
rare  and  extraordinary  motions ;  and,  in  a  little 
room  below  are  many  precious  marbles,  columns, 
urns,  vases,  and  noble  statues  of  porphyry,  oriental 
alabaster,  and  other  rare  materials.  About  this 
fabric  is  an  ample  area,  environed  with  sixteen  vast 
jars  of  red  earth,  wherein  the  Romans  used  to 
preserve  their  oil,  or  wine  rather,  which  they 
buried,  and  such  as  are  properly  called  testce.  In 
the  Palace  I  must  never  forget  the  famous  statue 
of  the  Gladiator,^  spoken  of  by  Pliny,  so  much 
followed  by  all  the  rare  artists  as  the  many  copies 
testify,  dispersed  through  almost  all  Europe,  both 
in  stone  and  metal.  There  is  also  a  Hercules,  a 
head  of  porphyry,  and  one  of  Marcus  Aurelius. 
In  the  villa-house  is  a  man's  body  flesh  and  all, 
petrified,  and  even  converted  to  marble,  as  it  was 
found  in  the  Alps,  and  sent  by  the  Emperor  to  one 
of  the  Popes ;  it  lay  in  a  chest,  or  coffin,  lined  with 
black  velvet,  and  one  of  the  arms  being  broken, 
you  may  see  the  perfect  bone  from  the  flesh 
which  remains  entire.  The  Rape  of  Proserpine,  in 
marble,  is  of  the  purest  white,  the  work  of  Bernini. 
In  the  cabinet  near  it  are  innumerable  small  brass 
figures,  and  other  curiosities.  But  what  some  look 
upon  as  exceeding  all  the  rest,  is  a  very  rich 
bedstead  (which  sort  of  gross  furniture  the  Italians 
much  glory  in,  as  formerly  did  our  grandfathers 
in  England  in  their  inlaid  wooden  ones)  inlaid  with 

^  [This,    now    more    accurately    described    as    "The    Dying 
Gaul,"  has  passed  to  the  Capitol.] 


YW^^ 


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AUwj 


'*^#^''f  MjiKT   ^Sil^litj  ! 


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1644  JOHN  EVELYN  167 

all  sorts  of  precious  stones  and  antique  heads, 
onyxes,  agates,  and  cornelians,  esteemed  to  be 
worth  80  or  90,000  crowns.  Here  are  also  divers 
cabinets  and  tables  of  the  Florence  work,  besides 
pictures  in  the  gallery,  especially  the  Apollo — a 
conceited  chair  ^  to  sleep  in  with  the  legs  stretched 
out  with  hooks,  and  pieces  of  wood  to  draw  out 
longer  or  shorter. 

From  this  villa,  we  went  to  see  Signor  Angeloni's 
study,  who  very  courteously  showed  us  such  a 
collection  of  rare  medals  as  is  hardly  to  be  paral- 
leled ;  divers  good  pictures,  and  many  outlandish 
and  Indian  curiosities,  and  things  of  nature. 

From  him,  we  walked  to  Monte  Cavallo,  here- 
tofore called  Mons  Quirinalis,  where  we  saw  those 
two  rare  horses,  the  work  of  the  rivals  Phidias  and 
Praxiteles,^  as  they  were  sent  to  Nero  [by  Tiridates 
King]  out  of  Armenia.  They  were  placed  on 
pedestals  of  white  marble  by  Sixtus  V.,  by  whom 
I  suppose  their  injuries  were  repaired,  and  are 
governed  by  four  [?]  naked  slaves,  like  those  at  the 
foot  of  the  Capitol.  Here  runs  a  most  noble 
fountain,  regarding  four  of  the  most  stately  streets 
for  building  and  beauty  to  be  seen  in  any  city  of 
Europe.     Opposite  to  these  statues  is  the  Pope's 

1  ["  Conceited  "  here  =  ingenious.] 

2  [Keysler,  who  does  not  attribute  them  to  the  sculptors 
named,  gives  a  translation  of  an  inscription  on  the  pedestal : — 
^^  These  colossal  statues  were  brought  from  the  neighbouring 
baths  of  Constantine  (the  damages  they  had  suffered  by  time 
being  repaired,  and  the  ancient  inscriptions  replaced)  and 
erected  in  this  Quirinal  area  by  order  of  pope  Sixtus  V.  in  the 
year  of  Christ  1589,  and  the  fourth  of  his  pontificate"  (ii.  307). 
They  are  now  know^n  as  Castor  and  Pollux.  Their  position  was 
changed  by  Pius  VI.  Clough  has  hexametrised  them  as  follows 
in  Canto  i.  of  the  Amours  de  Voijage  : — 

Ye,  too,  marvellous  Twain,  that  erect  on  the  Monte  Cavallo 

Stand  by  your  rearing  steeds,  in  the  grace  of  your  motionless  movement. 

Stand  with  upstretched  arms  and  tranquil  regardant  faces. 

Stand  as  instinct  with  life  in  the  might  of  inmiutable  manhood, — 

O  ye  mighty  and  strange,  ye  ancient  divine  ones  of  Hellas.] 


168  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

summer  palace,^  built  by  Gregory  XIII.  ;^  and,  in 
my  opinion,  it  is,  for  largeness  and  the  architecture, 
one  of  the  most  conspicuous  in  Rome,  having  a 
stately  portico  which  leads  round  the  court  under 
columns,  in  the  centre  of  which  there  runs  a 
beautiful  fountain.  The  chapel  is  incrusted  with 
such  precious  materials,  that  nothing  can  be  more 
rich,  or  glorious,  nor  are  the  other  ornaments  and 
movables  about  it  at  all  inferior.  The  Hall  is 
painted  by  Lanfranco,  and  others.  The  garden, 
which  is  called  the  Belvedere  di  Monte  Cavallo, 
in  emulation  to  that  of  the  Vatican,  is  most 
excellent  for  air  and  prospect ;  its  exquisite 
fountains,  close  walks,  grots,  piscinas,  or  stews 
for  fish,  planted  about  with  venerable  cypresses, 
and  refreshed  with  water-music,  aviaries,  and  other 
rarities. 

12fh  November.  A¥e  saw  Diocletian's  Baths, 
whose  ruins  testify  the  vastness  of  the  original 
foundation  and  magnificence ;  by  what  M.  Angelo 
took  from  the  ornaments  about  it,  'tis  said  he 
restored  the  then  almost  lost  art  of  architecture. 
This  monstrous  pile  was  built  by  the  labour  of  the 
primitive  Christians,  then  under  one  of  the  ten 
great  persecutions.^  The  Church  of  St.  Bernardo 
is  made  out  of  one  only  of  these  ruinous  cupolas, 
and  is  in  the  form  of  an  urn  with  a  cover. 

Opposite  to  this,  is  the  Fontana  delle  Terme, 
otherwise  called  Fons  Felix ;  in  it  is  a  basso-rilievo 
of  white  marble,  representing  Moses  striking  the 
rock,  which  is  adorned  with  camels,  men,  women, 

^  [Now  the  Royal  Palace,  where  Victor  Emmanuel  II.  died, 
Januaiy  9,  1878.] 

-  [It  was  begun  by  Gregory  XIII.  in  1 574,  but  was  continued 
and  enlarged  by  his  successors.] 

2  ["It  is  stated  by  Cardinal  Baronius  [see  ante,  p.  l65]  that 
40/)00  Christians  were  employed  in  the  work ;  some  bricks 
marked  with  crosses  have  occurred  in  the  ruins  "  (Hare's  Walks 
in  Rome,  by  St.  Clair  Baddeley,  1905,  p.  S55).'] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  169 

and  children  drinking,  as  large  as  life ;  a  work  for 
the  design  and  vastness  truly  magnificent.  The 
water  is  conveyed  no  less  than  twenty-two  miles 
in  an  aqueduct  by  Sixtus  V.,  eoo  agro  Colurnna,  by 
way  of  Praeneste,  as  the  inscription  testifies.  It 
gushes  into  three  ample  lavers  raised  about  with 
stone,  before  which  are  placed  two  lions  of  a 
strange  black  stone,  very  rare  and  antique.  Near 
this  are  the  store-houses  for  the  city's  corn,  and 
over-against  it  the  Church  of  St.  Susanna,  where 
were  the  gardens  of  Sallust.  The  facciata  of  this 
church  is  noble,  the  'Sqffita  within  gilded  and  full 
of  pictures ;  especially  famous  is  that  of  Susanna, 
by  Baldassa  di  Bologna.  The  tribunal  of  the  high 
altar  is  of  exquisite  work,  from  whose  marble  steps 
you  descend  under -ground  to  the  repository  of 
divers  Saints.  The  picture  over  this  altar  is  the 
work  of  Jacomo  Siciliano.  The  foundation  is  for 
Bernardine  Nuns. 

Santa  Maria  della  Vittoria  presents  us  with  the 
most  ravishing  front.  In  this  church  was  sung  the 
Te  Deum  by  Gregory  XV.,  after  the  signal  victory 
of  the  Emperor  at  Prague  ;  the  standards  then 
taken  still  hang  up,  and  the  impress  ^  waving  this 
motto  over  the  Pope's  arms,  Extirpenhcr,  I 
observed  that  the  high  altar  was  much  frequented 
for  an  image  of  the  Virgin.  It  has  some  rare 
statues,  as  Paul  ravished  into  the  third  heaven,  by 
Fiamingo,  and  some  good  pictures.  From  this,  we 
bend  towards  Diocletian's  Baths,  never  satisfied 
with  contemplating  that  immense  pile,  in  building 
which  150,000  Christians  were  destined  to  labour 
fourteen  years,  and  were  then  all  murdered.^  Here 
is  a  monastery  of  Carthusians,  called  Santa  Maria 
degli  Angeli,  the  architecture  of  M.  Angelo,  and 
the  cloister  encompassing  walls  in  an  ample  garden. 

JNlont  Alto's  villa  is  entered  by  a  stately  gate  of 

^  [Device, — Italian,  Impresa.]  -  [See  ante,  ]).  l68  «.] 


170  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

stone  built  on  the  Viminalis,  and  is  no  other  than 
a  spacious  park  full  of  fountains,  especially  that 
which  salutes  us  at  the  front ;  stews  for  fish  ;  the 
cypress  walks  are  so  beset  with  statues,  inscriptions, 
rilievos,  and  other  ancient  marbles,  that  nothing 
can  be  more  stately  and  solemn.  The  citron  trees 
are  uncommonly  large.  In  the  Palace  joining  to 
it  are  innumerable  collections  of  value.  Returning, 
we  stepped  into  St.  Agnes  church,  where  there  is 
a  tribunal  of  antique  mosaic,  and  on  the  altar  a 
most  rich  ciborio  of  brass,  with  a  statue  of  St. 
Agnes  in  oriental  alabaster.  The  church  of  Santa 
Constanza  has  a  noble  cupola.  Here  they  showed 
us  a  stone  ship  borne  on  a  column  heretofore 
sacred  to  Bacchus,  as  the  rilievo  intimates  by  the 
drunken  emblems  and  instruments  wrought  upon 
it.  The  altar  is  of  rich  porphyry,  as  I  remember. 
Looking  back,  we  had  the  entire  view  of  the  Via 
Pia  down  to  the  two  horses  before  the  Monte 
Cavallo,^  before  mentioned,  one  of  the  most 
glorious  sights  for  state  and  magnificence  that  any 
city  can  show  a  traveller.  We  returned  by  Porta 
Pia,  and  the  Via  Salaria,  near  Campo  Scelerato,  in 
whose  gloomy  caves  the  wanton  Vestals  were 
heretofore  immured  alive.  ^ 

Thence  to  Via  Felix,  a  straight  and  noble  street, 
but  very  precipitous,  till  we  came  to  the  four 
fountains  of  Lepidus,  built  at  the  abutments  of 
four  stately  ways,  making  an  exact  cross  of  right 
angles  ;  and,  at  the  fountains,  are  as  many  cumbent  ^ 

1  [See  ante,  p.  l67.] 

2  ["  When  condemned  by  the  college  of  pontifices^  she  [the 
vestal]  was  stripped  of  her  vittae  and  other  badges  of  office^  was 
scourged  (Dionys.  ix.  40),  was  attired  like  a  corpse,  placed  in  a 
close  litter  and  borne  through  the  forum  attended  by  her  w^eeping 
kindred,  with  all  the  ceremonies  of  a  real  funeral  ...  to  the 
Campus  Sceleratus.  ...  In  eveiy  case  the  paramour  was  publicly 
scourged  to  death  in  the  forum  "  (Smith's  Dictionary  of  Antiq^iities, 
1891,  ii.  9-1-2).]  3  [See  ante,  p."  159.] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  171 


figures  of  marble,  under  very  large  niches  of  stone, 
the  water  pouring  hito  huge  basins.  The  church 
of  St.  Carlo  is  a  singular  fabric  for  neatness,  of 
an  oval  design,  built  of  a  new  white  stone  ;  the 
columns  are  worth  notice.  Under  it  is  another 
church  of  a  structure  nothing  less  admirable. 

Next,  we  came  to  Santa  Maria  INIaggiore,^  built 
upon  the  Esquiline  ^lountain,  which  gives  it  a 
most  conspicuous  face  to  the  street  at  a  great 
distance.  The  design  is  mixed,  partly  antique, 
partly  modern.  Here  they  affirm  that  the  Blessed 
\^irgin  appearing,  showed  where  it  should  be  built 
300  years  since.  The  first  pavement  is  rare  and 
antique ;  so  is  the  portico  built  by  P.  P.  Eugenius 
II.  The  cihorio  is  the  work  of  Paris  Romano,  and 
the  tribunal  of  mosaic. 

We  were  showed  in  the  church  a  concha  of 
porphyry,  wherein  they  say  Patricius,  the  founder, 
lies.  This  is  one  of  the  most  famous  of  the  seven 
Roman  Churches,  and  is,  in  my  opinion  at  least, 
after  St.  Peter's,  the  most  magnificent.  Above 
all,  for  incomparable  glory  and  materials,  are  the 
two  chapels  of  Sixtus  V.  and  Paulus  V.  That  of 
Sixtus  was  designed  by  Dom.  Fontana,  in  which 
are  two  rare  great  statues,  and  some  good  pieces  of 
painting ;  and  here  they  pretended  to  show  some 
of  the  Holy  Innocents'  bodies  slain  by  Herod  :  as 
also  that  renowned  tabernacle  of  metal,  gilt,  sus- 
tained by  four  angels,  holding  as  many  tapers, 
placed  on  the  altar.  In  this  chapel  is  the  statue 
of  Sixtus,  in  copper,  with  hasso-rilievos  of  most 
of  his  famous  acts,  in  Parian  marble  ;  but  that 
of  P.  Paulus,  which  we  next  entered,  opposite  to 
this,  is  beyond  all  imagination  glorious,  and  above 
description.  It  is  so  encircled  with  agates,  and 
other  most  precious  materials,   as   to    dazzle   and 

1  [There  is  a  description  of  S.  Maria  Maggiore  in  folio,  1 62 1 , 
by  Paulus  de  Angelis.] 


172  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


confound  the  beholders.  The  basso -rilievos  are 
for  the  most  part  of  pure  snowy  marble,  intermixed 
with  figures  of  molten  brass,  double  gilt,  on  lapis 
lazuli  The  altar  is  a  most  stupendous  piece ;  but 
most  incomparable  is  the  cupola  painted  by  Guido 
Reni,  and  the  present  Baglioni,  full  of  exquisite 
sculptures.  There  is  a  most  sumptuous  sacristia  ; 
and  the  piece  over  the  altar  was  by  the  hand  of 
St.  Luke ;  if  you  will  believe  it.^  Paulus  V.  hath 
here  likewise  built  two  other  altars  ;  under  the  one 
lie  the  bones  of  the  Apostle,  St.  Matthias.  In 
another  oratory,  is  the  statue  of  this  Pope,  and 
the  head  of  the  Congo  Ambassador,  who  was 
converted  at  Rome,  and  died  here.  In  a  third 
chapel,  designed  by  Michael  Angelo,  lie  the  bodies 
of  Platina,  and  the  Cardinal  of  Toledo,  Honorius 
III.,  Nicephorus  IV.,  the  ashes  of  St.  Hierom, 
and  many  others.  In  that  of  Sixtus  V.,  before 
mentioned,  was  showed  us  part  of  the  crib  in 
which  Christ  was  swaddled  at  Bethlehem ;  there 
is  also  the  statue  of  Pius  V. ;  and  going  out  at  the 
further  end,  is  the  Resurrection  of  Lazarus,  by  a 
very  rare  hand.  In  the  portico,  is  this  late 
inscription  :  "  Cardinali  Antonio  Barberino  Archy- 
presbytero,  aream  marmoream  quam  Christianorum 
pietas  exsculpsit,  laborante  sub  Tyrannis  ecclesia, 
ut  esset  loci  sanctitate  venerabihor,  Francis 
Gualdus  Arm.  Eques  S.  Stephani  e  suis  sedibus 
hue  transtulit  et  ornavit,  1632."  Just  before  this 
portico,  stands  a  very  sublime  and  stately 
Corinthian  column,  of  white  marble,  translated 
hither  for  an  ornament  from  the  old  Temple  of 
Peace,  built  by  Vespasian,  having  on  the  pUnth  of 

'  ["  In  the  center  ...  is  the  picture  of  the  Virgin  Mary, 
with  Jesus  sitting  on  one  of  her  arms,  said  to  be  painted  by  St. 
Luke,  in  a  frame  of  lapis  lazuli ;  and  over  her  head  hangs  a 
crown  of  gold  enriched  with  jewels"  (Keysler's  Travels,  1760, 
ii.  p.  221).] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  173 

the  capital  the  image  of  our  Lady,  gilt  on  metal ;  at 
the  pedestal  runs  a  fountain.  Going  down  the  hill, 
we  saw  the  obelisk  taken  from  the  Mausoleum  of 
Augustus,  and  erected  in  this  place  by  Domenico 
Fontana,  with  this  epigraph :  "  Sextus  V.  Pont. 
Max.  Obeliscum  ex  Egypto  advectum,  Augusti  in 
JNIausoleo  dicatum,  eversum,  deinde  et  in  plures 
confractum  partes,  in  via  ad  S.  Rochum  jacentem, 
in  pristinam  faciem  restitutum  Salutiferee  Cruci 
felicius  hic  erigi  jussit,  anno  mdlxxxviii,  Pont. 
III."  : — and  so  we  came  weary  to  our  lodgings. 

At  the  foot  of  this  hill,  is  the  Church  of  St. 
Pudentiana,^  in  which  is  a  well,  filled  with  the  blood 
and  bones  of  several  martyrs,  but  grated  over  with 
iron,  and  visited  by  many  devotees.  Near  this 
stands  the  church  of  her  sister,  St.  Prassede,^  much 
frequented  for  the  same  reason.  In  a  little  obscure 
place,  cancelled  in  with  iron  work,  is  the  pillar,  or 
stump,  at  which  they  relate  our  Blessed  Saviour 
was  scourged,  being  full  of  bloody  spots,  at  which 
the  devout  sex  are  always  rubbing  their  chaplets, 
and  convey  their  kisses  by  a  stick  having  a  tassel 
on  it.  Here,  besides  a  noble  statue  of  St.  Peter, 
is  the  tomb  of  the  famous  Cardinal  Cajetan,  an 
excellent  piece  :  and  here  they  hold  that  St.  Peter 
said  his  first  mass  at  Rome,  with  the  same  altar 
and  the  stone  he  kneeled  on,  he  having  been  first 

1  [Keysler  says  this  church  contains  "  a  fine  piece  by  Rosetti, 
which  was  designed  by  Zuccaro^  representing  St.  Pudentiana 
gathering  up  the  bloody  heads,  and  bones  of  the  martyred 
Christians  "  (ii.  306).] 

2  [This  St.  Prassede's  or  Praxed's  is  the  church  where  Brown- 
ing's Bishop  is  supposed  to  order  the  splendid  tomb  which 
is  to  outdo  his  old  rival,  Gandolf.  Prassede  and  Pudentiana 
were  daughters  of  the  Roman  senator  Pudens  (with  whom  St. 
Paul  lodged,  a.d.  41  to  50),  and  lived  in  the  reign  of  Antoninus 
Pius.  "The  Bishop's  tomb" — writes  Mrs.  Sutherland  Orr — "is 
entirely  fictitious  ;  but  something  which  is  made  to  stand  for  it  is 
shown  to  credulous  sightseers  in  St.  Praxed's  Church  "  (Hmidbook 
to  Brownings'  Works,  1885,  p.  241).] 


174  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

lodged  in  this  house,  as  they  compute  about  the 
forty-fourth  year  of  the  Incarnation.  They  also 
show  many  relics,  or  rather  rags,  of  his  mantle.  St. 
Laurence  in  Panisperna  did  next  invite  us,  where 
that  martyr  was  cruelly  broiled  on  the  gridiron, 
there  yet  remaining.^  St.  Bridget  is  buried  in  this 
church  under  a  stately  monument.  In  the  front  of 
the  pile  is  the  suffering  of  St.  Laurence  painted 
a  fresco  on  the  wall.  The  fabric  is  nothing  but 
Gothic.  On  the  left  is  the  Therma  Novatii ;  and, 
on  the  right,  Agrippina's  Lavacrum. 

14^/^  November.  We  passed  again  through  the 
stately  Capitol  and  Campo  Vaccino  towards  the 
Amphitheatre  of  Vespasian,  but  first  stayed  to  look 
at  Titus's  Triumphal  Arch,  erected  by  the  people 
of  Rome,  in  honour  of  his  victory  at  Jerusalem  ; 
on  the  left  hand  whereof  he  is  represented  drawn 
in  a  chariot  with  four  horses  abreast ;  on  the  right 
hand,  or  side  of  the  arch  within,  is  sculptured  in 
figures,  or  basso-rilievo  as  big  as  the  life  (and  in 
one  entire  marble)  the  Ark  of  the  Covenant,  on 
which  stands  the  seven-branched  candlestick  de- 
scribed in  Leviticus,  as  also  the  two  Tables  of  the 
Law,  all  borne  on  men's  shoulders  by  the  bars,  as 
they  are  described  in  some  of  St.  Hierom's  bibles ; 
before  this,  go  many  crowned  and  laureated  figures, 
and  twelve  Roman  fasces,  with  other  sacred  vessels. 
This  much  confirmed  the  idea  I  before  had  ;  and 
therefore,  for  the  light  it  gave  to  the  Holy  History, 
I  caused  my  painter,  Carlo,^  to  copy  it  exactly. 
The  rest  of  the  work  of  the  Arch  is  of  the  noblest, 
best  understood  composita ;  and  the  inscription  is 
this,  in  capital  letters  ; 

S.   p.   Q.   R. 
D.   TITO,   D.   VESPASIANI,  F.   VESPASIANI  AVGVSTO. 

^  [According  to  Hare's  Walks  in  Rome,  by  St.  Clair  Baddeley, 
1905,  p.  325,  St.  Laurence's  gridiron  and  chains  are  shown  at 
S.  Lorenzo  in  Lucina.]  -  [See  ante,  p.  159-] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  175 

Santa  INIaria  Nuova  is  on  the  place  where  they 
told  us  Simon  Magus  fell  out  of  the  air  at  St. 
Peter's  prayer,  and  burst  himself  to  pieces  on  a 
flint.  Near  this  is  a  marble  monument,  erected  by 
the  people  of  Rome  in  memory  of  the  Pope's 
return  from  Avignon. 

Being  now  passed  the  ruins  of  Meta-Sudante 
(which  stood  before  the  Colosseum,  so  called, 
because  there  once  stood  here  the  statue  of 
Commodus  provided  to  refresh  the  gladiators^), 
we  enter  the  mighty  ruins  of  the  Vespasian  Amphi- 
theatre, begun  by  Vespasian,  and  finished  by  that 
excellent  prince,  Titus.  It  is  830  Roman  palms 
in  length  {ie.  130  paces),  90  in  breadth  at  the 
area,  with  caves  for  the  wild  beasts  which  used  to 
be  baited  by  men  instead  of  dogs  ;  the  whole  oval 
periphery  2888^  palms,  and  capable  of  containing 
87,000  spectators  with  ease  and  all  accommodation  : 
the  three  rows  of  circles  are  yet  entire ;  the  first 
was  for  the  senators,  the  middle  for  the  nobility, 
the  third  for  the  people.  At  the  dedication  of  this 
place  were  5000  wild  beasts  slain  in  three  months 
during  which  the  feast  lasted,  to  the  expense  of 
ten  millions  of  gold.  It  was  built  of  Tiburtine 
stone,  a  vast  height,  with  the  five  orders  of  archi- 
tecture, by  30,000  captive  Jews.  It  is  without,  of 
a  perfect  circle,  and  was  once  adorned  thick  with 
statues,  and  remained  entire,  till  of  late  that  some 
of  the  stones  were  carried  away  to  repair  the  city 
walls  and  build  the  Farnesian  Palace.  That  which 
still  appears  most  admirable  is,  the  contrivance  of  the 
porticos,  vaults,  and  stairs,  with  the  excessive  alti- 
tude, which  well  deserves  this  distich  of  the  poet :  ^ 

Omnis  Caesareo  cedat  labor  Amphitheatro ; 
Unum  pro  cunctis  fama  loquatur  opus. 

^  [Lassels    calls    the    statue    on    the    fountain    "a    Statue    of 
Jupiter  of  brasse  "  (ii.  123).] 

2  [Martial,  De  Sped.,  Ep.  i.  11.  7-8.] 


176  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

Near  it  is  a  small  chapel  called  Santa  Maria  della 
Pieta  nel  Colisseo,  which  is  erected  on  the  steps, 
or  stages,  very  lofty  at  one  of  its  sides,  or  ranges, 
within,  and  where  there  lives  only  a  melancholy 
hermit.  I  ascended  to  the  very  top  of  it  with 
wonderful  admiration. 

The  Arch  of  Constantine  the  Great  is  close  by 
the  Meta-Sudante,  before  mentioned,  at  the  begin- 
ning of  the  Via  Appia,  on  one  side  Monte  Celio, 
and  is  perfectly  entire,  erected  by  the  people  in 
memory  of  his  victory  over  Maxentius,  at  the  Pons 
Milvius,  now  Ponte  Mole.  In  the  front  is  this 
inscription  ; 

IMP.  CAES.   FL.  CONSTANTINO  MAXIMO 

P.   F.   AVGVSTO  S.   P.   Q.   R. 
QVOD  INSTINCTV  DIVINITATIS  MENTIS 

MAGNITVDINE  CVM  EXERCITV  SVO 
TAM  DE  TYRANNO  QVAM  DE  OMNI  EIVS 
FACTIONE  VNO  TEMPORE  IVSTIS. 
REMPVBLICAM  VLTVS  EST  ARMIS 
ARCVM  TRIVMPHIS  INSIGNEM  DICAVIT. 

Hence,  we  went  to  St.  Gregorio,  in  Monte  Celio, 
where  are  many  privileged  altars,  and  there  they 
showed  us  an  arm  of  that  saint,  and  other  relics. 
Before  this  church  stands  a  very  noble  portico. 

15th  November.  Was  very  wet,  and  I  stirred 
not  out,  and  the  16th  I  went  to  visit  Father  John, 
Provincial  of  the  Benedictines. 

11  th,  I  walked  to  X'illa  Borghese,  a  house  and 
ample  garden  on  Mons  Pincius,  yet  somewhat 
without  the  city  walls,  circumscribed  by  another 
wall  full  of  small  turrets  and  banqueting-houses  ; 
which  makes  it  appear  at  a  distance  like  a  little 
town.  Within  it  is  an  elysium  of  delight,  having 
in  the  centre  of  it  a  noble  palace  ;  but  the  entrance 
of  the  garden  presents  us  with  a  very  glorious 
fabric,  or  rather  door-case,  adorned  with  divers 
excellent  marble  statues.      This  garden  abounded 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  177 

with  all  sorts  of  delicious  fruit  and  exotic  simples, 
fountains  of  sundry  inventions,  groves,  and  small 
rivulets.  There  is  also  adjoining  to  it  a  vivarium 
for  ostriches,  peacocks,  swans,  cranes,  etc.,  and 
divers  strange  beasts,  deer,  and  hares.  The  grotto 
is  very  rare,  and  represents,  among  other  devices, 
artificial  rain,  and  sundry  shapes  of  vessels,  flowers, 
etc.  ;  which  is  effected  by  changing  the  heads  of 
the  fountains.  The  groves  are  of  cypress,  laurel, 
pine,  myrtle,  and  oUve.  The  four  sphinxes  are 
very  antique,  and  worthy  observation.  To  this  is 
a  volary,  full  of  curious  birds.  The  house  is  square 
with  turrets,  from  which  the  prospect  is  excellent 
towards  Rome,  and  the  environing  hills,  covered  as 
they  now  are  with  snow,  which  indeed  commonly 
continues  even  a  great  part  of  the  summer,  afford- 
ing sweet  refreshment.  Round  the  house  is  a 
baluster  of  white  marble,  with  frequent  jettos  of 
water,  and  adorned  with  a  multitude  of  statues. 
The  walls  of  the  house  are  covered  with  antique 
incrustations  of  history,  as  that  of  Curtius,  the 
Rape  of  Europa,  Leda,  etc.  The  cornices  above 
consist  of  fruitages  and  festoons,  between  which 
are  niches  furnished  with  statues,  which  order  is 
observed  to  the  very  roof.  In  the  lodge,  at  the 
entry,  are  divers  good  statues  of  Consuls,  etc.,  with 
two  pieces  of  field-artillery  upon  carriages  (a  mode 
much  practised  in  Italy  before  the  great  men's 
houses),  which  they  look  on  as  a  piece  of  state  more 
than  defence.  In  the  first  hall  within,  are  the 
twelve  Roman  Emperors,  of  excellent  marble ; 
betwixt  them  stand  porphyry  columns,  and  other 
precious  stones  of  vast  height  and  magnitude, 
with  urns  of  oriental  alabaster.  Tables  of  pieti^a- 
coviviessa  :  and  here  is  that  renowned  Diana  which 
Pompey  worshipped,  of  eastern  marble  :  the  most 
incomparable  Seneca  of  touch, ^  bleeding  in  a  huge 

1  [Touchstone  or  basanite  {Lydius  lapis).     "  Its  of  a  black  stone 
VOL.  I  N 


178  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


vase  of  porphyry,  resembling  the  drops  of  his  blood  ; 
the  so  famous  Gladiator,^  and  the  Hermaphrodite 
upon  a  quilt  of  stone.  The  new  piece  of  Daphne, 
and  David,  of  Cavaliero  Bernini,-  is  observable  for 
the  pure  whiteness  of  the  stone,  and  the  art  of  the 
statuary  plainly  stupendous.  There  is  a  multitude 
of  rare  pictures  of  infinite  value,  by  the  best 
masters ;  huge  tables  of  porphyry,  and  two  ex- 
quisitely wrought  vases  of  the  same.  In  another 
chamber,  are  divers  sorts  of  instruments  of  music  : 
amongst  other  toys  that  of  a  satyr,  which  so 
artificially  expressed  a  human  voice,  with  the 
motion  of  eyes  and  head,  that  it  might  easily 
affright  one  who  was  not  prepared  for  that  most 
extravagant  sight.  They  showed  us  also  a  chair 
that  catches  fast  any  who  sits  down  in  it,  so  as  not 
to  be  able  to  stir  out,  by  certain  springs  concealed 
in  the  arms  and  back  thereof,  which  at  sitting  down 
surprises  a  man  on  the  sudden,  locking  him  in  by 
the  arms  and  thighs,  after  a  true  treacherous  Italian 
guise.  The  perspective  is  also  considerable,  com- 
posed by  the  position  of  looking-glasses,  which 
render  a  strange  multiplication  of  things  resembling 
divers  most  richly  furnished  rooms.  Here  stands 
a  rare  clock  of  German  work ;  in  a  word,  nothing 
but  what  is  magnificent  is  to  be  seen  in  this 
Paradise. 

The  next  day,  I  went  to  the  Vatican,  where,  in 
the  morning,  I  saw  the  ceremony  of  Pamfilio,  the 
Pope's  nephew,  receiving  a  Cardinal's  hat ;  this 
was   the   first   time    I    had    seen   his   Holiness   in 

like  leat" — says  Lassels  of  the  statue — '^^then  which  nothing 
can  be  blacker  but  the  crimes  of  Nero  the  Magistricide,  who  put 
this  rare  man  his  master  to  death  "  (ii.  172).] 

^  [This  is  the  so-called  Borghese  Gladiator  of  Agasias,  the 
Ephesian.     It  has  been  in  the  Louvre  since  1808.] 

2  [Daplmie  changed  into  a  Laurel  from  Ovid,  and  David  witli 
the  Sling, — the  former  executed  in  l6'l6,  the  latter  when  Bernini 
was  in  his  eighteenth  year.] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  179 


pontificalibus.  After  the  Cardinals  and  Princes 
had  inet  in  the  consistory,  the  ceremony  was  in  the 
Pope's  chapel,  where  he  was  at  the  altar  invested 
with  most  pompous  rites. 

19///  November.  I  visited  St.  Peters,  that  most 
stupendous  and  incomparable  Basilica,  far  surpassing 
any  now  extant  in  the  world,  and  perhaps,  Solomon  s 
Temple  excepted,  any  that  was  ever  built.  The 
largeness  of  the  piazza  before  the  portico  is  worth 
observing,  because  it  affords  a  noble  prospect  of 
the  church,  not  crowded  up,  as  for  the  most  part  is 
the  case  in  other  places  where  great  churches  are 
erected.  In  this  is  a  fountain,  out  of  which  gushes 
a  river  rather  than  a  stream  which,  ascending  a 
good  height,  breaks  upon  a  round  emboss  of  marble 
into  millions  of  pearls  that  fall  into  the  subjacent 
basins  with  great  noise ;  I  esteem  this  one  of  the 
goodliest  fountains  I  ever  saw.^ 

Next  is  the  obelisk  transported  out  of  Egypt, 
and  dedicated  by  Octavius  Augustus  to  Julius 
Caesar,  whose  ashes  it  formerly  bore  on  the  summit ; 
but,  being  since  overturned  by  the  barbarians,  was 
re-erected  with  vast  cost  and  a  most  stupendous 
invention  by  Domenico  Fontana,^  architect  to 
Sixtus  V.  The  obelisk  consists  of  one  entire 
square  stone  without  hieroglyphics,  in  height 
seventy -two  feet,  but  comprehending  the  base 
and  all  it  is  108  feet  high,  and  rests  on  four 
Lions  of  gilded  copper,  so  as  you  may  see 
through  the  base  of  the  obelisk  and  plinth  of 
the  pedestal. 

1  [Lassels  (ii.  p.  28)  adds  a  detail.  It  "  throweth  up  such  a 
quantity  of  water,  that  it  maketh  a  mist  alwayes  about  it,  and 
oftentimes    a    rainhoiv, — when   the    Sun  strikes    obliquely  upon 

it."] 

2  [Domenico  Fontana,  1543-1607.  In  1590,  he  gave  a  folio 
account  (with  his  portrait)  of  the  erection  of  this  monument, 
entitled  Delia  transportatione  dell'  Obelisco  Faticano,  etc.,  Roma.^ 


180  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

Upon  two  faces  of  the  obelisk  is  engraven 


DIVO    CAES.   DIVI 
IVLII    F.  AVGVSTO 

TI.   CAES.   DIVI    AVG. 

F.  AVG  VS.  SACRVM. 


It  now  bears  on  the  top  a  cross  in  which  it  is 
said  that  Sixtus  V.  inclosed  some  of  the  holy 
wood  ;  and  under  it  is  to  be  read  by  good  eyes  : 

SANCTISSIMAE    CRVCI 

SEXTVS    V.   PONT.  MAX. 

CONSECRAVIT. 

E,   PRIORE    SEDE    AWLSVM 

ET    CAESS.  AVG.  AC    TIB. 

1.  L.  ABLATUM    M.D.LXXXVI. 

On  the  four  faces  of  the  base  below  : 

1.    CHRISTVS    VINCIT. 

CHRISTVS    REGNAT. 

CHRISTVS    IMPERAT. 

CHRISTVS    AB    OMNI    MALO 

PLEBEM    SVAM    DEFENDAT. 

2.  SEXTVS    V.   PONT.  M.VX. 
OBELISCVM    VATICANVM    DIIS  GENTIVM 

IMPIO    CVLTV    DICATVM 
AD    APOSTOLORVM    LIMINA 
OPEROSO    LABORE    TRANSTVLIT 
AN.   M.D.LXXXVI.  PONT.   II. 

3.  ECCE    CRVX    DOMINI 

FVGITE    PARTES 

ADVERSAE 

VINCIT    LEO 

DE    TRIBV    IVDA. 

4.  SEXTVS    V.   PONT.   MAX. 

CRVCI    INVICTAE 

OBELISCVM    VATICANVM 

AB    IMPIA    SVPERSTITIONE 

EXPIATVM    IVSTIVS 

ET    FELICITVS    CONSECRAVIT 

AN.   M.D.L. XXXVI.   PONT.   IL 


A  little  lower : 


DOMINICVS    FONTANA    EX    PAGO    MILIAGRI    NOVOCOMENSIS    TRANSTVLIT 
ET    EREXIT. 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  181 


It  is  reported  to  have  taken  a  year  in  erecting, 
to  have  cost  37,975  crowns,  the  labour  of  907  men, 
and  75  horses :  this  being  the  first  of  the  four 
Egyptian  obeHsks  set  up  at  Rome,  and  one  of  the 
forty- two  brought  to  the  city  out  of  Egypt,  set  up 
in  several  places,  but  thrown  down  by  the  Goths, 
Barbarians,  and  earthquakes/  Some  coaches  stood 
before  the  steps  of  the  ascent,  whereof  one,  belong- 
ing to  Cardinal  Medici,  had  all  the  metal  work  of 
massy  silver,  viz.  the  bow  behind  and  other  places. 
The  coaches  at  Rome,  as  well  as  covered  waggons 
also  much  in  use,  are  generally  the  richest  and 
largest  I  ever  saw.  Before  the  facciata  of  the 
church  is  an  ample  pavement.  The  church  was 
first  begun  by  St.  Anacletus,  when  rather  a  chapel, 
on  a  foundation,  as  they  give  out,  of  Constantine 
the  Great,  who,  in  honour  of  the  Apostles,  carried 
twelve  baskets  full  of  sand  to  the  work.  After 
him,  Julius  II.  took  it  in  hand,  to  which  all  his 
successors  have  contributed  more  or  less. 

The  front  is  supposed  to  be  the  largest  and 
best -studied  piece  of  architecture  in  the  world ; 
to  this  we  went  up  by  four  steps  of  marble.  The 
first  entrance  is  supported  by  huge  pilasters ;  the 
volto  within  is  the  richest  possible,  and  overlaid 
with  gold.  Between  the  five  large  anti-ports  are 
columns  of  enormous  height  and  compass,  with  as 
many  gates  of  brass,  the  work  and  sculpture  of 
Pollajuolo,  the  Florentine,  full  of  cast  figures  and 
histories  in  a  deep  rilievo.  Over  this  runs  a  terrace 
of  like  amplitude  and  ornament,  where  the  Pope, 
at  solemn  times,  bestows  his  benediction  on  the 
vulgar.  On  each  side  of  this  portico  are  two 
campaniles,  or  towers,  whereof  there  was  but  one 
perfected,  of  admirable  art.     On  the  top  of  all,  runs 

1  [Lassels  adds  (ii.  p.  28) : — "  The  whole  Guglia  [obeUsk]  is 
sayd  to  weigh  956,148  pound  weight.  I  wonder  what  scales 
they  had  to  Aveigh  it  with."] 


182  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

a  balustrade  which  edges  it  quite  round,  and  upon 
this  at  equal  distances  are  Christ  and  the  twelve 
Disciples,  of  gigantic  size  and  stature,  yet  below 
showing  no  greater  than  the  life.  Entering  the 
church,  admirable  is  the  breadth  of  the  volto,  or 
roof,  which  is  all  carved  with  foliage  and  roses 
overlaid  with  gold  in  nature  of  a  deep  basso-iilievo, 
a  t antique.  The  nave,  or  body,  is  in  form  of  a 
cross,  whereof  the  foot-part  is  the  longest ;  and,  at 
the  internodium  of  the  transept,  rises  the  cupola, 
which  being  all  of  stone  and  of  prodigious  height  is 
more  in  compass  than  that  of  the  Pantheon  (which 
was  the  largest  amongst  the  old  Romans,  and  is 
yet  entire)  or  any  other  known.  The  inside,  or 
concave,  is  covered  with  most  exquisite  mosaic, 
representing  the  Celestial  Hierarchy,  by  Giuseppe 
d'  Arpino,  full  of  stars  of  gold ;  the  convex,  or 
outside,  exposed  to  the  air,  is  covered  with  lead, 
with  great  ribs  of  metal  double  gilt  (as  are  also  the 
ten  other  lesser  cupolas,  for  no  fewer  adorn  this 
glorious  structure),  which  gives  a  great  and  admir- 
able splendour  in  all  parts  of  the  city.  On  the 
summit  of  this  is  fixed  a  brazen  globe  gilt,  capable 
of  receiving  thirty-five  persons.^  This  I  entered, 
and  engraved  my  name  amongst  other  travellers. 
Lastly,  is  the  Cross,  the  access  to  which  is  between 
the  leaden  covering  and  the  stone  convex,  or  arch- 
work  ;  a  most  truly  astonishing  piece  of  art !  On 
the  battlements  of  the  church,  also  all  overlaid 
with  lead  and  marble,  you  would  imagine  yourself 
in  a  town,  so  many  are  the  cupolas,  pinnacles, 
towers,  juttings,  and  not  a  few  houses  inhabited  by 
men  who  dwell  there,  and  have  enough  to  do  to 
look  after  the  vast  reparations  which  continually 
employ  them. 

1  [Lassels  (ii.  p.  46)  says  thirty.  "We  were  eight  in  it  at 
once ;  and  I  am  sure  we  could  have  placed  thrice  as  many 
more."! 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  183 


Having  seen  this,  we  descended  into  the  body 
of  the  church,  full  of  collateral  chapels  and  large 
oratories,  most  of  them  exceeding  the  size  of 
ordinary  churches;  but  the  principal  are  four 
incrusted  with  most  precious  marbles  and  stones 
of  various  colours,  adorned  with  an  infinity  of 
statues,  pictures,  stately  altars,  and  innumerable 
relics.  The  altar-piece  of  St.  Michael  being  of 
mosaic,  I  could  not  pass  without  particular  note, 
as  one  of  the  best  of  that  kind.  The  chapel  of 
Gregory  XHI.,  where  he  is  buried,  is  most  splendid. 
Under  the  cupola,  and  in  the  centre  of  the  church, 
stands  the  high  altar,  consecrated  first  by  Clement 
VIII.,  adorned  by  Paul  V.,  and  lately  covered  by 
Pope  Urban  VIII.  ;  with  that  stupendous  canopy 
of  Corinthian  brass,  which  heretofore  was  brought 
from  the  Pantheon  ;  it  consists  of  four  wreathed 
columns,  partly  channelled  and  encircled  with  vines, 
on  which  hang  little  putti,  birds  and  bees  (the  arms 
of  the  Barberini),  sustaining  a  haldacchino  of  the 
same  metal.  The  four  columns  weigh  an  hundred 
and  ten  thousand  pounds,  all  over  richly  gilt ;  this, 
with  the  pedestals,  crown,  and  statues  about  it, 
forms  a  thing  of  that  art,  vastness,  and  magnifi- 
cence, as  is  beyond  all  that  man's  industry  has 
produced  of  the  kind  ;  it  is  the  work  of  Bernini,  a 
Florentine  sculptor,  architect,  painter,  and  poet,' 
who,  a  little  before  my  coming  to  the  city,  gave  a 
public  opera  (for  so  they  call  shows  of  that  kind), 
wherein  he  painted  the  scenes,  cut  the  statues, 
invented  the  engines,  composed  the  music,  writ 
the  comedy,  and  built  the  theatre.  Opposite  to 
either  of  these  pillars,  under  those  niches  which, 
with  their  columns,  support  the  weighty  cupola, 
are  placed  four  exquisite  statues  of  Parian  marble, 

1  [Giovanni  Lorenzo  Bernini,  15.98-1680.  For  this  work 
Bernini  received  from  Urban  VIII.  (Cardinal  MafFeo  Barberini) 
10,000  scudi,  a  pension,  and  two  livings  for  his  brothers.] 


184  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

to  which  are  four  altars ;  that  of  St.  Veronica, 
made  by  Fra.  Mochi,  has  over  it  the  reliquary, 
where  they  showed  us  the  miraculous  Sudarium 
indued  with  the  picture  of  our  Saviour's  face,  with 
this  inscription  ;  "  Salvatoris  imaginem  Veronicas 
Sudario  exceptam  ut  loci  majestas  decenter  cus- 
todiret,  Urbanus  VIII.  Pont.  Max.  Marmoreum 
signum  et  Altare  addidit,  Conditorium  extruxit  et 
ornavit."  ^ 

Right  against  this  is  that  of  Longinus,  of  a 
colossean  magnitude,  also  by  Bernini,  and  over  him 
the  conservatory  of  the  iron  lance  inserted  in  a 
most  precious  crystal,  with  this  epigraph  :  "  Longini 
Lanceam  quam  Innocentius  VIII.  a  Bajazete 
Turcarum  Tyranno  accepit,  Urbanus  VIII.  statua 
apposita,  et  Sacello  substructo,  in  exornatum 
Conditorium  transtulit." 

The  third  chapel  has  over  the  altar  the  statue  of 
our  countrywoman,  St.  Helena,  the  mother  of 
Constantine  the  Great ;  the  work  of  Boggi,  an 
excellent  sculptor ;  and  here  is  preserved  a  great 
piece  of  the  pretended  wood  of  the  holy  cross 
which  she  is  said  to  have  first  detected  miraculously 
in  the  Holy  Land.  It  was  placed  here  by  the  late 
Pope  with  this  inscription  :  "  Partem  Crucis  quam 
Helena  Imperatrix  e  Calvario  in  Urbem  adduxit, 
Urbanus  VIII.  Pont.  Max.  e  Sissoriana  Basilica 
desumptam,  additis  ara  et  statua,  h\c  in  Vaticano 
collocavit." 

Tlie  fourth  hath  over  the  altar,  and  opposite  to 
that  of  St.  Veronica,  the  statue  of  St.  Andrew,  the 
work  of  Flamingo,  admirable  above  all  the  other ; 
above  is  preserved  the  head  of  that  Apostle,  richly 
enchased.  It  is  said  that  tliis  excellent  sculptor 
died   mad   to   see    his    statue   placed   in   a   disad- 

1  [More  briefly  described  by  Lassels  (ii.  p.  3.S)  as  "  the  Volto 
Sacro,  or  print  of  our  Saviour  s  face,  which  he  imprinted  in  the 
handkercher  of  S.  JWotiica."] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  185 


vantageous  light  by  Bernini,  the  chief  architect, 
who  found  himself  outdone  by  this  artist.  The 
inscription  over  it  is  this  : 

St.  Andreae  caput  quod  Pius  II.  ex  Achaiii  in  Vaticanum 
asportandum  curavit,  Urbanus  VIII.  novis  hie  ornamentis 
deeoratum,  sacris(j'  statuae  ac  Sacelli  honoribus  coli  voluit. 

The  relics  showed  and  kept  in  this  church  are 
without  number,  as  are  also  the  precious  vessels  of 
gold,  silver,  and  gems,  with  the  vests  and  services 
to  be  seen  in  the  Sacristy,  which  they  showed  us. 
Under  the  high  altar  is  an  ample  grot  inlaid  with 
pietra-commessa,  wherein  half  of  the  bodies  of  St. 
Peter  and  St.  Paul  are  preserved ;  before  hang 
divers  great  lamps  of  the  richest  plate,  burning 
continually.  About  this  and  contiguous  to  the 
altar,  runs  a  balustrade,  in  form  of  a  theatre,  of  black 
marble.  Towards  the  left,  as  you  go  out  of  the 
church  by  the  portico,  a  little  beneath  the  high 
altar,  is  an  old  brass  statue  of  St.  Peter  sitting, 
under  the  soles  of  whose  feet  many  devout  persons 
rub  their  heads,  and  touch  their  chaplets.  This 
was  formerly  cast  from  a  statue  of  Jupiter  Capito- 
linus.  In  another  place,  stands  a  column  grated 
about  with  iron,  whereon  they  report  that  our 
Blessed  Saviour  was  often  wont  to  lean  as  he 
preached  in  the  Temple.  In  the  work  of  the 
reliquary  under  the  cupola  there  are  eight  wreathed 
columns  brought  from  the  Temple  of  Solomon.  In 
another  chapel,  they  showed  us  the  chair  of  St. 
Peter,  or,  as  they  name  it,  the  Apostolical  Throne. 
But  amongst  all  the  chapels  the  one  most  glorious 
has  for  an  altar-piece  a  Madonna  bearing  a  dead 
Christ  on  her  knees,  in  white  marble,  the  work 
of  Michael  Angelo.^  At  the  upper  end  of  the 
Cathedral,  are  several  stately  monuments,  especially 
that  of  Urban  VIII.     Round  the  cupola,  and  in 

1  [The  famous  IHeia, — the  only  work  the  artist  signed.] 


186  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


many  other  places  in  the  church,  are  confession- 
seats,  for  all  languages,  Hebrew,  Greek,  Latin, 
Spanish,  Italian,  French,  English,  Irish,  Welsh,  Scla- 
vonian,  Dutch,  etc.,  as  it  is  written  on  their  friezes 
in  golden  capitals,  and  there  are  still  at  confessions 
some  of  all  nations.  Towards  the  lower  end  of  the 
church,  and  on  the  side  of  a  vast  pillar  sustaining  a 
weighty  roof,  is  the  deposituvi  and  statue  of  the 
Countess  Matilda,  a  rare  piece,  with  basso-rilievos 
about  it  of  white  marble,  the  work  of  Bernini. 
Here  are  also  those  of  Sixtus  IV.  and  Paulus 
III.,  etc.  Amongst  the  exquisite  pieces  in  this 
sumptuous  fabric  is  that  of  the  ship  with  St.  Peter 
held  up  from  sinking  by  our  Saviour ;  the  emblems 
about  it  are  the  mosaic  of  the  famous  Giotto,  who 
restored  and  made  it  perfect  after  it  had  been 
defaced  by  the  barbarians.  Nor  is  the  pavement 
under  the  cupola  to  be  passed  over  without  observa- 
tion, which  with  the  rest  of  the  body  and  walls  of 
the  whole  church,  are  all  inlaid  with  the  richest  of 
pietra-commessa,  in  the  most  splendid  colours  of 
polished  marbles,  agates,  serpentine,  porphyry, 
calcedon,  etc.,  wholly  incrusted  to  the  very  roof. 
Coming  out  by  the  portico  at  which  we  entered, 
we  were  showed  the  Porta  Santa,  never  opened  but 
at  the  year  of  jubilee.  This  glorious  foundation 
hath  belonging  to  it  thirty  canons,  thirty -six 
beneficiates,  twenty-eight  clerks  beneficed,  with 
innumerable  chaplains,  etc.,  a  Cardinal  being  always 
arch-priest ;  the  present  Cardinal  was  Francesco 
Barberini,  who  also  styled  himself  Protector  of 
the  English,  to  whom  he  was  indeed  very 
courteous.^ 

1  [Francesco  Barberini,  1597-1679,  Founder  of  the  Barberini 
Library,  and  Vice-Chancellor  of  the  Church  of  Rome.  He  is 
buried  in  S.  Maria  della  Concezione,  under  the  modest  epitaph. 
Hie  jacet  pn/vis,  cinis,  et  nihil.  Milton  was  introduced  to  him, 
in  l638,  by  Lucas  Holstenius,  the  Ubrarian  of  the  Vatican  ;  and 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  187 


20th  November,  I  went  to  visit  that  ancient 
See  and  Cathedral  of  St.  John  di  Laterano,  and 
the  holy  places  thereabout.  This  is  a  church  of 
extraordinary  devotion,  though,  for  outward  form, 
not  comparable  to  St.  Peter's,  being  of  Gothic 
ordonnance.  Before  we  went  into  the  cathedral, 
the  Baptistery  of  St.  John  Baptist  presented  itself, 
being  formerly  part  of  the  Great  Constantine's 
Palace,  and,  as  it  is  said,  his  chamber  where  by 
St.  Silvester  he  was  made  a  Christian.  It  is  of  an 
octagonal  shape,  having  before  the  entrance  eight 
fair  pillars  of  rich  porphyry,  each  of  one  entire 
piece,  their  capitals  of  divers  orders,  supporting 
lesser  columns  of  white  marble,  and  these  supporting 
a  noble  cupola,  the  moulding  whereof  is  excellently 
wrought.  In  the  chapel  which  they  affirm  to  have 
been  the  lodging-place  of  this  Emperor,  all  women 
are  prohibited  from  entering,  for  the  malice  of 
Herodias  who  caused  him  to  lose  his  head.  Here 
are  deposited  several  sacred  relics  of  St.  James, 
Mary  Magdalen,  St.  Matthew,  etc.,  and  two  goodly 
pictures.  Another  chapel,  or  oratory  near  it,  is 
called  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  well  adorned  with 
marbles  and  tables,  especially  those  of  Cavaliere 
Giuseppe,^  and  of  Tempesta,  in  fresco.  We  went 
hence  into  another  called  St.  Venantius,  in  which 
is  a  tribunal  all  of  mosaic  in  figures  of  Popes.  Here 
is  also  an  altar  of  the  Madonna,  much  visited,  and 
divers  Sclavonish  saints,  companions  of  Pope  John 
IV.  The  portico  of  the  church  is  built  of  materials 
brought  from  Pontius  Pilate's  house  in  Jerusalem. 

The  next  sight  which  attracted  our  attention, 
was  a  wonderful  concourse  of  people  at  their 
devotions  before  a  place  called    Scala  Sancta,  to 

it  was  probably  at  the  Barberini  Palace  that  Milton  heard 
Leonora  Baroni  sing  (Pattison's  Milton,  1879^  p.  38).  '^t^  post, 
under  19th  February,  and  4-th  May,  1645.] 

1  [d'  Arpino.] 


188  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

which  is  built  a  noble  front.  Entering  the  portico, 
we  saw  those  large  marble  stairs,  twenty-eight  in 
number,  which  are  never  ascended  but  on  the 
knees,  some  lip-devotion  being  used  on  every  step ; 
on  which  you  may  perceive  divers  red  specks  of 
blood  under  a  grate,  which  they  affirm  to  have 
been  drops  of  our  Blessed  Saviour,  at  the  time  he 
was  so  barbarously  misused  by  Herod's  soldiers  ; 
for  these  stairs  are  reported  to  have  been  translated 
hither  from  his  palace  in  Jerusalem.^  At  the  top 
of  them  is  a  chapel,  whereat  they  enter  (but  we 
could  not  be  permitted)  by  gates  of  marble,  being 
the  same  our  Saviour  passed  when  he  went  out  of 
Herod's  house.  This  they  name  the  Sanctum 
Sanctorum^  and  over  it  we  read  this  epigraph  : 

Non  est  in  toto  sanctior  orbe  locus. 

Here,  through  a  grate,  we  saw  that  picture  of 
Christ  painted  (as  they  say)  by  the  hand  of  St. 
Luke,  to  the  life.^  Descending  again,  we  saw 
before  the  church  the  obelisk,  which  is  indeed  most 
worthy  of  admiration.  It  formerly  lay  in  the  Circo 
Maximo,  and  was  erected  here  by  Sixtus  V.,  in 
1587,  being  112  feet  in  height  without  the  base  or 
pedestal ;  at  the  foot  nine  and  a  half  one  way,  and 
eight  the  other.  This  pillar  was  first  brought 
from  Thebes  at  the  utmost  confines  of  Eg}^t,  to 
Alexandria,  from  thence  to  Constantinople,  thence 
to  Rome,  and  is  said  by  Ammianus  Marcellinus  to 
have  been  dedicated  to  Rameses,  King  of  Egypt. 
It  was  transferred  to  this  city  by  Constantine  the 
son   of  the   Great,    and   is   full   of  hieroglyphics, 

1  ["  These  holy  staires  were  Sent  from  Hieriusalevi  to  Coiistantin 
the  Great,  by  his  Moter  Queen  Helen,  together  with  many  other 
Relicks  kept  in  S.  lohn  Latcrans  Church,  They  are  of  white 
marble,  and  above  six  foot  long  "  (Lassels,  ii.  p.  H^-).] 

-  ["Its  about  a  foot  &  a  halfe  long" — adds  Lassels — "and 
its  sayd  to  have  been  begun  by  S.  Luke,  but  ended  miraculously 
by  an  Angel  "  (ii.  p.  114).] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  189 


serpents,  men,  owls,  falcons,  oxen,  instruments,  etc., 
containing  (as  Father  Kircher  the  Jesuit  will 
shortly  tell  us  in  a  book  which  he  is  ready  to 
l)ublish  ^)  all  the  recondite  and  abstruse  learning  of 
that  people.  The  vessel,  galley,  or  float,  that 
brought  it  to  Rome  so  many  hundred  leagues,  must 
needs  have  been  of  wonderful  bigness  and  strange 
fabric.  The  stone  is  one  and  entire,  and  [having 
been  thrown  down]  was  erected  by  the  famous 
Dom.  Fontana,  for  that  magnificent  Pope,  Sixtus 
v.,  as  the  rest  were ;  it  is  now  cracked  in  many 
places,  but  solidly  joined.  The  obelisk  is  thus 
inscribed  at  the  seyeraljacciatas  : 

Fl.  Constantinus  Augustus,  Constantini  Augusti  F.  Obe- 
liscum  a  patre  suo  motum  diuq;  Alexandriae  jacentem,  trecen- 
torum  remigum  impositum  navi  mirandae  vastitatis  per  mare 
Tyberimq ;  magnis  molibus  Romam  convectum  in  Circo 
Max.  ponendum  S.P.Q.R.D.D. 

On  the  second  square  : 

Fl.  Constantinus  Max:  Aug:  Christianas  fidei  Vindex  & 
Assertor  Obeliscum  ab  ^gyptio  Rege  impuro  voto  Soli 
dicatum,  sedibus  avulsum  suis  per  Nilum  transfer.  Alexan- 
driam,  ut  Novam  Romam  ab  se  tunc  conditam  eo  decoraret 
monumento. 

On  the  third  : 

Sextus  V.  Pontifex  Max:  Obeliscum  hunc  specie  eximia 
temporum  calamitate  fractum,  Circi  Maximi  minis  humo, 
limoq;  alte  demersum,  multa  impensa  extraxit,  hunc  in 
locum  magno  labore  transtulit,  formaq;  pristina  accurate 
vestitum,  Cruci  invictissimae  dicavit  anno  M.D.LXXXVIII. 
Pont.  IIII. 

On  the  fourth : 

Constantinus  per  Crucem  Victor  a  Silvestro  hie  Baptizatus 
Crucis  gloriam  propagavit. 

Leaving  this  wonderful  monument  (before  which 

^  [Obeliscum-  Pamphilius,  etc.,  l650,  Rovice,  folio,  3  vols,  (see 
post,  p.  309,  and  6th  May,  l655).] 


190  THE  DIARY  OF 


1644 


is  a  stately  public  fountain,  with  a  statue  of  St. 
John  in  the  middle  of  it),  we  visited  his  Holiness's 
Palace,  being  a  little  on  the  left  hand,  the  design 
of  Fontana,  architect  to  Sixtus  V.  This  I  take  to 
be  one  of  the  best  Palaces  in  Rome  ;  ^  but  not 
•staying  we  entered  the  church  of  St.  John  di 
Laterano,  which  is  properly  the  Cathedral  of  the 
Roman  See,  as  I  learned  by  these  verses  engraven 
upon  the  architrave  of  the  portico  : 

Dogmate  Papali  datur,  et  simul  Imperiali 

Quod  sim  cunctarum  mater  caput  Ecclesiaru 

Hinc  Salvatoris  coelestia  regna  datoris 

Nomine  Sanxerunt,  cum  cuncta  peracta  fuerunt ; 

Sic  vos  ex  toto  conversi  supplice  voto 

Nostra  quod  haec  aedes  ;  tibi  Christe  sit  inclyta  sedes. 

It  is  called  Lateran,  from  a  noble  family 
formerly  dwellhig  it  seems  hereabouts,  on  Mons 
C^elius.  The  church  is  Gothic,  and  hath  a  stately 
tribunal ;  the  paintings  are  of  Pietro  Pisano.  It 
was  the  first  church  that  was  consecrated  with  the 
ceremonies  now  introduced,  and  where  altars  of 
stone  supplied  those  of  wood  heretofore  in  use, 
and  made  like  large  chests  for  the  easier  removal 
in  times  of  persecution ;  such  an  altar  is  still  the 
great  one  here  preserved,  as  being  that  on  which 
(they  hold)  St.  Peter  celebrated  mass  at  Rome  ; 
for  which  reason  none  but  the  Pope  may  now 
presume  to  make  that  use  of  it.  The  pavement 
is  of  all  sorts  of  precious  marbles,  and  so  are  the 
walls  to  a  great  height,  over  which  it  is  painted 
a  fresco  with  the  life  and  acts  of  Constantine  the 
Great,   by  most   excellent   masters.      The   organs 

1  ["  Near  this  Church  [S.  Giovamii  Laterano  ]  Pope  Sixtus  V. 
caused  an  old  decayed  })alace  to  be  entirely  rebuilt,  and  with 
suitable  splendor  and  magnificence  ;  but  bis  successors  never 
liked  it  so  well  as  to  make  it  their  constant  residence.  In  the 
year  l693  Innocent  XII.  converted  it  into  an  hospital  for  poor 
women,  and  its  present  endowment  is  at  least  thirty  thousand 
scudi  or  crowns  "  (Keysler's  Travels^  1760,  ii.  p.  197).] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  191 


are  rare,  supported  by  four  columns.  The  sojjitta 
is  all  richly  gilded,  and  full  of  pictures.  Opposite 
to  the  porta  is  an  altar  of  exquisite  architecture, 
with  a  tabernacle  on  it  all  of  precious  stones,  the 
work  of  Targoni ;  ^  on  this  is  a  ccena  of  plate,  the 
hivention  of  Curtius  Vanni,  of  exceeding  value ; 
the  tables  hanging  over  it  are  of  Giuseppe  d'Arpino. 
About  this  are  four  excellent  columns  transported 
out  of  Asia  by  the  Emperor  Titus,  of  brass,  double 
gilt,  about  twelve  feet  in  height ;  the  walls  between 
them  are  incrusted  with  marble  and  set  with 
statues  in  niches,  the  vacuum  reported  to  be  filled 
with  holy  earth,  which  St.  Helena  sent  from 
Jerusalem  to  her  son,  Constantine,  who  set  these 
pillars  where  they  now  stand.  At  one  side  of 
this  is  an  oratory  full  of  rare  paintings  and  monu- 
ments, especially  those  of  the  great  Connestabile 
Colonna.^  Out  of  this  we  came  into  the  Sacristia, 
full  of  good  pictures  of  Albert  ^  and  others.  At 
the  end  of  the  church  is  a  flat  stone  supported  by 
four  pillars  which  they  affirm  to  have  been  the 
exact  height  of  our  Blessed  Saviour,  and  say  they 
never  fitted  any  mortal  man  that  tried  it,  but  he 
was  either  taller  or  shorter ;  two  columns  of  the 
veil  of  the  Temple  which  rent  at  his  passion ;  the 
stone  on  which  they  threw  lots  for  his  seamless 
vesture ;  and  the  pillar  on  which  the  cock  crowed, 
after  Peter's  denial ;  and,  to  omit  no  fine  thing, 
the  just  length  of  the  Virgin  Mary's  foot  as  it 
seems  her  shoemaker  affirmed !  Here  is  a 
sumptuous  cross,  beset  with  precious  stones, 
containing  some  of  the  very  wood  of  the  holy 
cross  itself ;  with  many  other  things  of  this  sort : 

1  [Pomp.  Targoni, — "the    engineer  who   made    the    famous 
dykes  at  Rochelle,"  says  Keysler  (ii.  p.  191)-] 

2  [The    Constable    Colonna   was    the    husband   of   Mazarin's 
niece,  Maria  Mancini.] 

2  [Diirer.] 


192  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

also  numerous  most  magnificent  monuments, 
especially  those  of  St.  Helena,  of  porphyry ; 
Cardinal  Farnese ;  Martin  I.,  of  copper ;  the 
pictures  of  Mary  Magdalen,  Martin  V.,  Laurentius 
Valla,  etc.,  are  of  Gaetano  ;  the  Nunciata,  designed 
by  M.  Angelo  ;  and  the  great  crucifix  of  Sermoneta. 
In  a  chapel  at  one  end  of  the  porch  is  a  statue  of 
Henry  IV.  of  France,  in  brass,  standing  in  a  dark 
hole,  and  so  has  done  many  years ;  perhaps  from 
not  believing  him  a  thorough  proselyte.  The 
two  famous  (Ecumenical  Councils  were  celebrated 
in  this  Church  by  Pope  Simachus,  Martin  I., 
Stephen,  etc. 

Leaving  this  venerable  church  (for  in  truth  it 
has  a  certain  majesty  in  it),  we  passed  through  a 
fair  and  large  hospital  of  good  architecture,  having 
some  inscriptions  put  up  by  Barberini,  the  late 
Pope's  nephew.^  We  then  went  by  St.  Sylvia, 
where  is  a  noble  statue  of  St.  Gregory  P.,  begun 
by  M.  Angelo ;  -  a  St.  Andrew,  and  the  bath  of 
St.  Cecilia.  In  this  church  are  some  rare  paintings, 
especially  that  story  on  the  wall  of  Guido  Reni. 
Thence  to  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo,  where  the  friars 
are  reputed  to  be  great  chymists.  The  choir, 
roof,  and  paintings  in  the  tribuna  are  excellent. 

Descending  the  Mons  Caslius,  we  came  against 
the  vestiges  of  the  Palazzo  Maggiore,  heretofore 
the  Golden  House  of  Nero  ;  now  nothing  but  a 
heap  of  vast  and  confused  ruins,  to  show  what 
time  and  the  vicissitude  of  human  things  does 
change  from  the  most  glorious  and  magnificent 
to  the  most  deformed  and  confused.  We  next 
went  into  St.  Sebastian's  Church,  which  has  a 
handsome  front :  then  we  passed  by  the  place 
where   Romulus   and   Remus   were  taken  up   by 

1  [The  Hospital  of  S.  Giovanni  Laterano.] 
'^  [This  statue  of  St.  Gregory,  St.  Sylvia's  son,  was  finished  by 
Franciosini  (Keysler,  ii.  p.  205).] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  193 

Faustulus,  the  Forum  Romanum,  and  so  by  the 
edge  of  the  Mons  Palatinus  ;  where  we  saw  the 
ruins  of  Pompey's  house,  and  the  Church  of  St. 
Anacletus ;  and  so  into  the  Circus  Maximus, 
heretofore  capable  of  containing  a  hundred  and 
sixty  thousand  spectators,  but  now  all  one  entire 
heap  of  rubbish,  part  of  it  converted  into  a  garden 
of  pot-herbs.  We  concluded  this  evening  with 
hearing  the  rare  voices  and  music  at  the  Chiesa 
Nuova.^ 

21,9^  November,  I  was  carried  to  see  a  great 
virtuoso,  Cavaliero  Pozzo,-  who  showed  us  a  rare 
collection  of  all  kind  of  antiquities,  and  a  choice 
library,  over  which  are  the  effigies  of  most  of  our 
late  men  of  polite  literature.  He  had  a  great 
collection  of  the  antique  basso  -  rilievos  about 
Rome,  which  this  curious  man  had  caused  to  be 
designed  in  several  folios  :  many  fine  medals  ;  the 
stone  which  Pliny  calls  enhydros ;  it  had  plainly 
in  it  the  quantity  of  half  a  spoonful  of  water,  of 
a  yellow  pebble  colour,  of  the  bigness  of  a  walnut. 
A  stone  paler  than  an  amethyst,  which  yet  he 
affirmed  to  be  the  true  carbuncle,  and  harder  than 
a  diamond ;  it  was  set  in  a  ring,  without  foil,  or 
anything  at  the  bottom,  so  as  it  was  transparent, 
of  a  greenish  yellow,  more  lustrous  than  a  diamond. 
He  had  very  pretty  things  painted  on  crimson 
velvet,  designed  in  black,  and  shaded  and  height- 
ened witli  white,  set  in  frames  ;  also  a  number  of 
choice  designs  and  drawings. 


1 

2 

della 


See  ante,  p.  iG^.] 

Lassels  also  visited  Pozzo.  "  Behinde  this  Church  [S.  Andrea 
Valle]  lived,  when  I  first  was  acquainted  with  Rome, 
an  other  great  Virtuoso  and  Gentleman  of  Rome,  I  meane  the 
ingenious  Cavalier  Pozzo,  with  whom  I  was  brought  acquainted, 
and  saw  all  his  rarityes,  his  curious  pictures,  medals,  hassi  rilievi, 
his  excellent  bookes  of  the  rarest  things  in  the  world,  which  he 
caused  to  be  painted,  copied,  and  designed  out  with  great  cost " 
(ii.  217).] 

VOL.  I  O 


194  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

Hence  we  walked  to  the  Suburra  and  iErarium 
Saturni,  where  yet  remain  some  ruins  and  an 
inscription.  From  thence  to  S.  Pietro  in  Vincoli, 
one  of  the  seven  churches  on  the  Esquiline,  an 
old  and  much -frequented  place  of  great  devotion 
for  the  relics  there,  especially  the  bodies  of  the 
seven  Maccabean  brethren,  which  lie  under  the 
altar.  On  the  wall  is  a  St.  Sebastian,  of  mosaic, 
after  the  Greek  manner ;  ^  but  what  I  chiefly 
regarded  was,  that  noble  sepulchre  of  Pope  Julius 
11.,^  the  work  of  M.  Angelo ;  with  that  never- 
sufficiently- to -be -admired  statue  of  Moses,  in 
white  marble,  and  those  of  A^ita  Contemplativa 
and  Activa,  by  the  same  incomparable  hand. 
To  this  church  belongs  a  monastery,  in  the  court 
of  whose  cloisters  grow  two  tall  and  very  stately 
palm  trees.  Behind  these,  we  walked  a  turn 
amongst  the  Baths  of  Titus,  admiring  the  strange 
and  prodigious  receptacles  for  water,  which  the 
vulgar  call  the  Sette  Sale,  now  all  in  heaps. 

22nd  November,  Was  the  solemn  and  greatest 
ceremony  of  all  the  State  Ecclesiastical,  viz.  the 
procession  of  the  Pope  (Innocent  X.)  to  St.  John 
di  Laterano,^  which,  standing  on  the  steps  of  Ara 
Coeli,  near  the  Capitol,  1  saw  pass  in  this  manner  : 
— First  went  a  guard  of  Switzers  to  make  way, 
and  divers  of  the  avant-g\i2i\:^  of  horse  carrying 
lances.  Next  followed  those  who  carried  the  robes 
of  the  Cardinals,  two  and  two  ;  then  the  Cardinals' 
macebearers ;  the  caudatari,^  on  mules  ;  the  masters 

1  [It  represents  St.  Sebastian  in  old  age  with  white  hair  and 
beard,  carrying  a  martyr's  crown.] 

2  [Pope  Julius  II.  is  really  buried  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Sacrament  at  St.  Peter's.  His  tomb  at  St.  Peter  in  Vincoli  was 
but  partially  completed.  Four  only  out  of  more  than  forty 
statues  were  finished ;  three,  the  Moses,  Leah,  and  Rachel 
(Active  and  Contemplative  Life),  being  used  for  the  existing 
raionument.] 

3  [See  ante^  p.  148.]  *  [Caudataires,  train-bearers.] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  195 

of  their  horse ;  tlie  Pope's  barber,  tailor,  baker, 
gardener,  and  other  domestic  oflicers,  all  on  horse- 
back, hi  rich  liveries ;  the  squires  belonging  to 
the  Guard  ;  five  men  in  rich  liveries  led  five  noble 
Neapolitan  horses,  white  as  snow,  covered  to  the 
ground  with  trappings  richly  embroidered  ;  which 
is  a  service  })aid  by  the  King  of  Spain  for  the 
kingdoms  of  Naples  and  Sicily,  pretended  feuda- 
tories to  the  Pope ;  three  mules  of  exquisite  beauty 
and  price,  trapped  in  crimson  velvet ;  next  followed 
three  rich  litters  with  mules,  the  litters  empty  ; 
the  master  of  the  horse  alone,  with  his  squires ; 
five  trumpeters ;  the  armerieii  estra  iiiuros ;  the 
fiscal  and  consistorial  advocates ;  capellani^  came- 
rieri  de  honore,  cubicularl  and  chamberlains,  called 
secretL 

Then  followed  four  other  cavierierl^  with  four 
caps  of  the  dignity-pontifical,  which  were  Cardinals' 
hats  carried  on  staves  ;  four  trumpets ;  after  them, 
a  number  of  noble  Romans  and  gentlemen  of  quality, 
very  rich,  and  followed  by  innumerable  stqffieii  and 
pages ;  the  secretaries  of  the  cancellaria,  abhre- 
viatori-accoliti  in  their  long  robes,  and  on  mules ; 
auditoii  di  roti ;  the  dean  of  the  roti  and  master  of 
the  sacred  palace,  on  mules,  with  grave,  but  rich 
foot-clothes,  and  in  flat  episcopal  liats  ;  then  w^ent 
more  of  the  Roman  and  other  nobility  and  courtiers, 
wdth  divers  pages  in  most  rich  liveries  on  horse- 
back ;  fourteen  drums  belonging  to  the  Capitol ; 
the  marshals  wdth  their  staves  ;  the  two  syndics  ; 
the  conservators  of  the  city,  in  robes  of  crimson 
damask ;  the  knight-gonfalionier  and  prior  of  the 
R.  R.,  in  velvet  toques  ;  six  of  his  Holhiess's  mace- 
bearers  ;  then  the  captain,  or  governor,  of  the  Castle 
of  St.  Angelo,  upon  a  brave  prancer ;  the  governor 
of  the  city ;  on  both  sides  of  these  two  long  ranks 
of  Switzers ;  the  masters  of  the  ceremonies ;  the 
cross-bearer  on  horseback,  with  two  priests  at  each 


196  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

hand  on  foot ;  pages,  footmen,  and  guards,  in 
abundance.  Then  came  the  Pope  himself,  carried 
in  a  Utter,  or  rather  open  chair,  of  crimson  velvet, 
richly  embroidered,  and  borne  by  two  stately  mules  ; 
as  he  went,  he  held  up  two  fingers,  blessing  the 
multitude  who  were  on  their  knees,  or  looking  out 
of  their  windows  and  houses,  with  loud  vivas  and 
acclamations  of  felicity  to  their  new  Prince.  This 
chair  was  followed  by  the  master  of  his  chamber, 
cup-bearer,  secretary,  and  physician ;  then  came 
the  Cardinal-Bishops,  Cardinal-Priests,  Cardinal- 
Deacons,  Patriarchs,  Archbishops,  and  Bishops,  all 
in  their  several  and  distinct  habits,  some  in  red, 
others  in  green  flat  hats  with  tassels,  all  on  gallant 
mules  richly  trapped  with  velvet,  and  led  by  their 
servants  in  great  state  and  multitudes  ;  after  them, 
the  apostolical  protonotaii,  auditor,  treasurer,  and 
referendaries  ;  lastly,  the  trumpets  of  the  rear-guard, 
two  pages  of  arms  in  helmets  with  feathers,  and 
carrying  lances  ;  two  captains  ;  the  pontifical  standard 
of  the  Church  ;  the  two  aljieri,  or  cornets,  of  the 
Pope's  light  horse,  who  all  followed  in  armour  and 
carrying  lances ;  which,  with  innumerable  rich 
coaches,  litters,  and  people,  made  up  the  procession. 
What  they  did  at  St.  John  di  Laterano,  I  could  not 
see,  by  reason  of  the  prodigious  crowd ;  so  I  spent 
most  of  the  day  in  viewing  the  two  triumphal  arches 
which  had  been  purposely  erected  a  few  days  before, 
and  till  now  covered ;  the  one  by  the  Duke  of 
Parma,  in  the  Foro  Romano,  the  otiier  by  the  Jews 
in  the  Capitol,  with  flattering  inscriptions.  They 
were  of  excellent  architecture,  decorated  with 
statues  and  abundance  of  ornaments  proper  for  the 
occasion,  since  they  were  but  temporary,  and  made 
up  of  boards,  cloth,  etc.,  painted  and  framed  on  the 
sudden,  but  as  to  outward  appearance,  solid  and 
very  stately.  The  night  ended  with  fire-works. 
What  I  saw  was  that  which  was  built  before  the 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  197 

Spanish  Ambassador's  house,  in  the  Piazza  del 
Trinita,  and  another,  before  that  of  the  French. 
The  first  appeared  to  be  a  mighty  rock,  bearing  the 
Pope's  Arms,  a  dragon,  and  divers  figures,  which 
being  set  on  fire  by  one  who  flung  a  rocket  at  it, 
kindled  immediately,  yet  preserving  the  figure  both 
of  the  rock  and  statues  a  very  long  time  ;  insomuch 
as  it  was  deemed  ten  thousand  reports  of  squibs 
and  crackers  spent  themselves  in  order.  That  before 
the  French  Ambassador's  Palace  was  a  Diana  drawn 
in  a  chariot  by  her  dogs,  with  abundance  of  other 
figures  as  large  as  the  life,  which  played  with  fire 
in  the  same  manner.  In  the  meantime,  the  windows 
of  the  whole  city  were  set  with  tapers  put  into 
lanterns,  or  sconces,  of  several  coloured  oiled  paper, 
that  the  wind  might  not  annoy  them  ;  this  rendered 
a  most  glorious  show.  Besides  these,  there  were  at 
least  twenty  other  fire-works  of  vast  charge  and  rare 
art  for  their  invention  before  divers  Ambassadors', 
Princes',  and  Cardinals'  Palaces,  especially  that  on 
the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo,  being  a  pyramid  of  lights, 
of  great  height,  fastened  to  the  ropes  and  cables 
which  support  the  standard-pole.  The  streets  were 
this  night  as  light  as  day,  full  of  bonfires,  cannon 
roaring,  music  playing,  fountains  running  wine,  in 
all  excess  of  joy  and  triumph. 

23r^  November,  I  went  to  the  Jesuits'  College 
again, ^  the  front  whereof  gives  place  to  few  for  its 
architecture,  most  of  its  ornaments  being  of  rich 
marble.  It  has  within  a  noble  portico  and  court, 
sustained  by  stately  columns,  as  is  the  corridor  over 
the  portico,  at  the  sides  of  which  are  the  schools 
for  arts  and  sciences,  which  are  here  taught  as  at 
the  University.  Here  I  heard  Father  Athanasius 
Kircher  -  upon  a  part  of  Euclid,  which  he  expounded. 
To  this  joins  a  glorious  and  ample  church  for  the 

1  [See  a7ite,  p.  l62.]  2  [gee  ante,  p.  l62.] 


198  THE  DIARY  OF  leu 

students ;  a  second  is  not  fully  finished  ;  and  there 
are  two  noble  libraries,  where  I  was  showed  that 
famous  wit  and  historian,  Famianus  Strada.!  Hence 
we  went  to  the  house  of  Hippolito  Vitellesco 
(afterwards  bibliothecary  of  the  Vatican  library), 
who  showed  us  one  of  the  best  collections  of 
statues  in  Rome,  to  which  he  frequently  talks  as 
if  they  were  living,  pronouncing  now  and  then 
orations,  sentences,  and  verses,  sometimes  kissing 
and  embracing  them.  He  has  a  head  of  Brutus 
scarred  in  the  face  by  order  of  the  Senate  for  kill- 
ing Julius  ;  this  is  much  esteemed.  Also  a  Minerva, 
and  others  of  great  value.  This  gentleman  not  long 
since  purchased  land  in  the  kingdom  of  Naples,  in 
hope,  by  digging  the  ground,  to  find  more  statues  ; 
which  it  seems  so  far  succeeded,  as  to  be  much 
more  worth  than  the  purchase.  We  spent  the 
evening  at  the  Chiesa  Nuova,  where  was  excellent 
music  ;  but,  before  that  began,  the  courteous  fathers 
led  me  into  a  nobly  furnished  library,  contiguous  to 
their  most  beautiful  convent. 

2Sth  November,  I  went  to  see  the  garden  and 
house  of  the  Aldobrandini,  now  Cardinal  Borghese's.^ 
This  Palace  is,  for  architecture,  magnificence,  pomp, 
and  state,  one  of  the  most  considerable  about  the 
city.  It  has  four  fronts,  and  a  noble  piazza  before 
it.  Within  the  courts,  under  arches  supported 
by   marble   columns,  are   many   excellent   statues. 

1  Famian  Strada,  1572-1649.  Joining  the  Society  of  Jesus, 
in  1 59^,  he  was  appointed  professor  of  rhetoric  in  their  college 
in  Rome.  [His  histoiy  of  the  "  Low  Countrey  Warres  "  {T>e  Bello 
Belgico)  was  "englished"  by  Sir.  R.  Stapylton  in  1650.J  He  is 
chiefly  known,  however,  to  the  English  reader  by  his  Prolusiones 
Academicco,  in  which  he  introduced  clever  imitations  of  the 
Latin  poets,  translations  of  several  of  which  Addison  published 
in  the  Guardian  (Nos.  115,  119,  and  122).  [He  also  refers  to 
him  in  Spectatoi',  Nos.  241  and  6l7,  in  the  latter  of  which  he  styles 
Strada  "the  Cleveland  of  his  age."] 

2  [Cardinal  Scipio  Borghese  .^] 


1644  JOHN  EVELYN  199 

Ascendii)g  the  stairs,  tliere  is  a  rare  figure  of  Diana, 
of  wliite  marble.  The  St.  Sebastian  and  Herma- 
phrodite are  of  stupendous  art.  For  paintings,  our 
Saviour's  Head,  by  Correggio ;  several  pieces  of 
Raphael,  some  of  which  are  small ;  some  of  Bassano 
Veronese ;  the  Leda,  and  two  admirable  Venuses, 
are  of  Titian's  pencil ;  so  is  the  Psyche  and  Cupid  ; 
the  Head  of  St.  .lohn,  borne  by  Herodias  ;  two 
heads  of  Albert  Dl'irer,  very  exquisite.  We  were 
shown  here  a  fine  cabinet  and  tables  of  Florence- 
work  in  stone.  In  the  gardens  are  many  fine 
fountains,  the  walls  covered  with  citron  trees,  which, 
being  rarely  spread,  invest  the  stone-work  entirely  ; 
and,  towards  the  street,  at  a  back  gate,  the  port  is 
so  handsomely  clothed  with  ivy  as  much  pleased  me. 
About  this  palace  are  many  noble  antique  hasso- 
rilievos :  two  especially  are  placed  on  the  ground, 
representing  armour,  and  other  military  furniture 
of  the  Romans ;  beside  these,  stand  about  the 
garden  numerous  rare  statues,  altars,  and  urns. 
Above  all  for  antiquity  and  curiosity  (as  being  the 
only  rarity  of  that  nature  now  known  to  remain)  is 
that  piece  of  old  Roman  painting  representing  the 
Roman  Sponscdia,  or  celebration  of  their  marriage, 
judged  to  be  1400  years  old,  yet  are  the  colours  very 
lively,  and  the  design  very  entire,  though  found 
deep  in  the  ground.  For  this  morsel  of  paint- 
ing's sake  only,  it  is  said  the  Borghesi  purchased 
the  house,  because  this  being  on  a  wall  in  a  kind 
of  banqueting-house  in  the  garden,  could  not  be 
removed,  but  passes  with  the  inheritance. 

2^th  November,  I  a  second  time  visited  the 
Medicean  Palace,^  being  near  my  lodging,  the  more 
exactly  to  have  a  view  of  the  noble  collections  that 
adorn  it,  especially  the  bassO'Vilievos  and  antique 
friezes  inserted  about  the  stone-work  of  the  house. 
The  Saturn,  of  metal,  standing  in  the  portico,  is  a 

1  [See  ante,  p.  l63.] 


200  THE  DIARY  OF  uu 

rare  piece  ;  so  is  the  Jupiter  and  Apollo,  in  the  hall. 
We  were  now  led  into  those  rooms  above  we  could 
not  see  before,  full  of  incomparable  statues  and 
antiquities ;  above  all,  and  haply  preferable  to  any 
in  the  world,  are  the  Two  Wrestlers,^  for  the  in- 
extricable mixture  with  each  other's  arms  and  legs 
is  stupendous.  In  the  great  chamber  is  the  Gladi- 
ator, whetting  a  knife  ;^  but  the  Venus  is  without 
parallel,^  being  the  masterpiece  of  one  whose  name 
you  see  graven  under  it  in  old  Greek  characters ;  ^ 
nothing  in  sculpture  ever  approached  this  miracle 
of  art.  To  this  add  Marcius,  Ganymede,  a  little 
Apollo  playing  on  a  pipe  ;  some  rilievi  incrusted  on 
the  palace-walls  ;  and  an  antique  vase  of  marble, 
near  six  feet  high.  Among  the  pictures  may  be 
mentioned  the  Magdalen  and  St.  Peter,  weeping. 
I  pass  over  the  cabinets  and  tables  of  pietra'Com- 
messa,  being  the  proper  invention  of  the  Floren- 
tines. In  one  of  the  chambers  is  a  whimsical 
chair,  which  folded  into  so  many  varieties,  as  to 
turn  into  a  bed,  a  bolster,  a  table,  or  a  couch.  I 
had  another  walk  in  the  garden,  where  are  two 
huge  vases,  or  baths  of  stone. 

I  went  further  up  the  hill  to  the  Pope's  Palaces 
at  Monte  Cavallo,^  where  I  now  saw  the  garden 
more  exactly,  and  found  it  to  be  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  and  pleasant  in  Rome.  I  am  told  the 
gardener  is  annually  allowed  2000  scudi  for  the 
keeping  of  it.  Here  I  observed  hedges  of  myrtle 
above  a  man's  height ;  others  of  laurel,  oranges,  nay, 
of  ivy  and  juniper ;   the   close  walks,   and  rustic 

1  [/  Lottatori.  It  is  now  in  the  Tribune  of  the  Uffizi  at 
Florence.  A  copy  of  this  remarkable  group  forms  the  frontis- 
piece to  Crossley's  excellent  '^  Golden  Treasury "  Epictetus 
(1903)^  one  of  the  deliverances  in  which  it  effectively  illustrates.] 

2  [L'  Arrotino,  or  Knife-Grinder,  now  in  the  Uffizi.] 
^    This  is  also  in  the  Uffizi.] 

*    Kleomenes,  son  of  Apollodorus.] 
^    See  ante,  p.  l67.] 


1644 


JOHN  EVELYN  201 


grotto  ;  a  cryptall,  of  which  the  laver,  or  basin,  is  of 
one  vast,  entire,  antique  porphyry,  and  below  this 
flows  a  plentiful  cascade ;  the  steps  of  the  grotto 
and  the  roofs  being  of  rich  mosaic.  Here  are 
hydraulic  organs,  a  fish-pond,  and  an  ample  bath. 
From  hence,  we  went  to  taste  some  rare  Greco ; 
and  so  home. 

Being  now  pretty  weary  of  continual  walking, 
I  kept  within,  for  the  most  part,  till  the  6th 
December  ;  and,  during  this  time,  1  entertained  one 
Signor  Alessandro,  who  gave  me  some  lessons  on 
the  theorbo. 

The  next  excursion  was  over  the  Tiber,  which 
I  crossed  in  a  ferry-boat,  to  see  the  Palazzo  di  Chigi 
[Farnesina],  standing  in  Trastevere,  fairly  built,  but 
famous  only  for  the  painting  a  fresco  on  the  volto 
of  the  portico  towards  the  garden  ;  the  story  is  the 
Amours  of  Cupid  and  Psyche,  by  the  hand  of  the 
celebrated  Raphael  d'  Urbino.  Here  you  always 
see  painters  designing  and  copying  after  it,  being 
esteemed  one  of  the  rarest  pieces  of  that  art  in  the 
world ;  and  with  great  reason.  I  must  not  omit 
that  incomparable  table  of  Galatea  (as  I  remember), 
so  carefully  preserved  in  the  cupboard  at  one  of  the 
ends  of  this  walk,  to  protect  it  from  the  air,  being 
a  most  lively  painting.  There  are  likewise  excellent 
things  of  Baldassare,  and  others. 

Thence  we  went  to  the  noble  house  of  the  Duke 
of  Bracciano,  fairly  built,  with  a  stately  court  and 
fountain. 

Next,  we  walked  to  St.  Mary's  Church,  where 
was  the  Taherna  Meritoria,  where  the  old  Roman 
soldiers  received  their  triumphal  garland,  which 
they  ever  after  wore.  The  high  altar  is  very  fair, 
adorned  with  columns  of  porphyry  :  here  is  also 
some  mosaic  work  about  the  choir,  and  the  As- 
sumption is  an  esteemed  piece.  It  is  said  that  this 
church  was  the  first  that   was   dedicated   to  the 


202  THE  DIARY  OF  i644 

Virgin  at  Rome.  In  the  opposite  piazza  is  a  very 
sumptuous  fountain. 

\2th  December,  I  went  again  to  St.  Peter's,  to 
see  the  chapels,  churches,  and  grots  under  the 
whole  church  (like  our  St.  Faith's  under  Paul's),  in 
which  lie  interred  a  multitude  of  Saints,  Martyrs, 
and  Popes  ;  amongst  them  our  countryman,  Adrian 
IV.  (Nicholas  Breakspear),  in  a  chest  of  porphyry  ; 
St.  J.  Chrysostom ;  Petronella  ;  the  heads  of  St. 
James  Minor,  St.  Luke,  St.  Sebastian,  and  our 
Thomas  a  Becket ;  a  shoulder  of  St.  Christopher ; 
an  arm  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  ;  Longinus  ;  besides 
134  more  Bishops,  Soldiers,  Princes,  Scholars,  Car- 
dinals, Kings,  Emperors,  their  wives ;  too  long  to 
particularise. 

Hence  we  walked  into  the  cemetery,  called 
Campo  Santo,  the  earth  consisting  of  several  ship- 
loads of  mould,  transported  from  .Jerusalem,  which 
consumes  a  carcase  in  twenty-four  hours. ^  To  this 
joins  that  rare  hospital,  where  once  was  Nero's 
Circus ;  the  next  to  this  is  the  Inquisition-house 
and  prison,  the  inside  whereof,  I  thank  God,  I  was 
not  curious  to  see.  To  this  joins  his  Holiness's 
Horse-guards. 

On  Christmas-eve,  I  went  not  to  bed,  being 
desirous  of  seeing  the  many  extraordinary  cere- 
monies performed  then  in  their  churches,  as  mid- 
night masses  and  sermons.  I  walked  from  church 
to  church  the  whole  night  in  admiration  at  the  mul- 
titude of  scenes  and  pageantry  which  the  friars  had 
with  much  industry  and  craft  set  out,  to  catch  the 
devout  women  and  superstitious  sort  of  people,  who 
never  parted  without  dropping  some  money  into 
a  vessel  set  on  purpose  ;  but  especially  observable 
was  the  puppetry  in  the  Church  of  the  Minerva, 
representing  the  Nativity.  I  thence  went  and 
heard  a  sermon  at  the  Apollinare ;  by  which  time 

1  [See  ante,  pp.  100  and  136.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  203 

it  was  morning.  On  Christmas-day,  his  Holiness 
sang  mass,  the  artillery  of  St.  Angelo  went  off, 
and  all  this  day  was  exposed  the  cradle  of  our 
Lord. 

29fh  JDecember,  We  were  invited  by  the  English 
Jesuits  to  dinner,  being  their  great  feast  of  Thomas 
[a  Becket]  of  Canterbury.  We  dined  in  their 
common  refectory,  and  afterwards  saw  an  Italian 
comedy  acted  by  their  alumni  before  the  Cardinals. 

1645  :  January.  We  saw  pass  the  new  officers 
of  the  people  of  Rome ;  especially,  for  their  noble 
habits  were  most  conspicuous,  the  three  Consuls, 
now  called  Conservators,  who  take  their  places  in 
the  Capitol,  having  been  sworn  the  day  before 
between  the  hands  of  the  Pope.  We  ended  the 
day  with  the  rare  music  at  the  Chiesa  Nuova. 

Qtlh  Was  the  ceremony  of  our  Saviour's  baptism 
in  the  Church  of  St.  Athanasius,  and  at  Ara  Coeli 
was  a  great  procession,  del  Bambino,  as  they  call  it, 
where  were  all  the  magistrates,  and  a  wonderful 
concourse  of  people. 

1th.  A  sermon  was  preached  to  the  Jews,  at 
Ponte  Sisto,  who  are  constrained  to  sit  till  the  hour 
is  done ;  but  it  is  with  so  much  malice  in  their 
countenances,  spitting,  humming,  coughing,  and 
motion,  that  it  is  almost  impossible  they  should 
hear  a  word  from  the  preacher.  A  conversion  is 
very  rare.^ 

lU/i.  The  heads  of  St.  Peter  and  St.  Paul  are 
exposed  at  St.  John  di  Laterano. 

\5th.  The  zitelle,  or  young  wenches,  which  are 
to  have  portions  given  them  by  the  Pope,  being 

1  [Cf.  Browning's  '^Holy-Cross  Day"  (^Men  and  Women,  1855). 
By  Papal  Bull  of  1584,  Jews  were  compelled  to  hear  sermons  at 
the  Church  of  St.  Angelo  in  Pescheria  [i.e.  Fish  Market]  close 
to  the  Ghetto  or  Jews'  quarter  in  Rome  (Berdoe's  Browning 
Cyclopccdia,  1892,  p.  208).  This  custom  was  abolished  in  1848 
by  Pius  IX.] 


204  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


poor,  and  to  marry  them,  walked  in  procession  to 
St.  Peter's,  where  the  Veronica  was  showed/ 

I  went  to  the  Ghetto,  where  the  Jews  dwell  as 
in  a  suburb  by  themselves  ;  being  invited  by  a  Jew 
of  my  acquaintance  to  see  a  circumcision.  I  passed 
by  the  Piazza  Judea,  where  their  seraglio  begins  ; 
for,  being  environed  with  walls,  they  are  locked 
every  night.  In  this  place  remains  yet  part  of  a 
stately  fabric,  which  my  Jew  told  me  had  been  a 
palace  of  theirs  for  the  ambassador  of  their  nation, 
when  their  country  was  subject  to  the  Romans. 
Being  led  through  the  Synagogue  into  a  private 
house,  I  found  a  world  of  people  in  a  chamber :  by 
and  by  came  an  old  man,  who  prepared  and  laid  in 
order  divers  instruments  brought  by  a  little  child 
of  about  seven  years  old  in  a  box.  These  the  man 
laid  in  a  silver  basin  ;  the  knife  was  much  like  a 
short  razor  to  shut  into  the  half.  Then  they  burnt 
some  incense  in  a  censer,  which  perfumed  the  room 
all  the  while  the  ceremony  was  performing.  In 
the  basin  was  a  little  cap  made  of  white  paper  like 
a  capuchin's  hood,  not  bigger  than  the  finger :  also 
a  paper  of  a  red  astringent  powder,  I  suppose  of 
bole ;  a  small  instrument  of  silver,  cleft  in  the 
middle  at  one  end,  to  take  up  the  prepuce  withal ; 
a  fine  linen  cloth  wrapped  up.  These  being  all  in 
order,  the  women  brought  the  infant  swaddled,  out 
of  another  chamber,  and  delivered  it  to  the  Rabbi, 
who  carried  and  presented  it  before  an  altar,  or 
cupboard,  dressed  up,  on  which  lay  the  five  books  of 
Moses,  and  the  Commandments,  a  little  unrolled. 
Before  this,  with  profound  reverence,  and  mumbling 
a  few  words,  he  waved  the  child  to  and  fro  awhile  ; 
then  he  delivered  it  to  another  Rabbi,  who  sate  all 
this  time  upon  a  table.  Whilst  the  ceremony  was 
performing,  all  the  company  fell  singing  a  Hebrew 
hymn,  in  a  barbarous  tone,  waving  themselves  to 

1  [See  post,  p.  257.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  205 

and  fro  ;  a  ceremony  they  observe  in  all  their  devo- 
tions.^ — The  Jews  in  Rome  all  wear  yellow  hats, 
live  only  upon  brokage  and  usury,  very  poor  and 
despicable,  beyond  what  they  are  in  other  territories^ 
of  Princes  where  they  are  permitted. 

18///  Januarij,  I  went  to  see  the  Pope's  Palace, 
the  Vatican,  where  he  for  the  most  part  keeps  his 
Court.  It  was  first  built  by  Pope  Simachus,  and 
since  augmented  to  a  vast  pile  of  building  by  his 
successors.  That  part  of  it  added  by  Sixtus  V.  is 
most  magnificent.  This  leads  us  into  divers  terraces 
arched  sub  dio,  painted  by  Raphael  with  the  histories 
of  the  Bible,  so  esteemed,  that  artists  come  from  all 
parts  of  Europe  to  make  their  studies  from  these 
designs.  The  foliage  and  grotesque  about  some  of 
the  compartments  are  admirable.^  In  another  room 
are  represented  at  large,  maps  and  plots  of  most 
countries  in  the  world,  in  vast  tables,  with  brief 
descriptions.  The  stairs  which  ascend  out  of  St. 
Peter's  portico  into  the  first  hall,  are  rarely  contrived 
for  ease  ;  these  lead  into  the  hall  of  Gregory  XIII., 
the  walls  whereof  half-way  to  the  roof,  are  incrusted 
with  most  precious  marbles  of  various  colours  and 
works.  So  is  also  the  pavement  inlaid  w^ork ;  but 
what  exceeds  description  is  the  volto,  or  roof  itself, 
which  is  so  exquisitely  painted,  that  it  is  almost 
impossible  for  the  skilfullest  eye  to  discern  whether 
it  be  the  work  of  the  pencil  upon  a  flat,  or  of  a 
tool  cut  deep  in  stone.  The  rota  dentata,  in  this 
admirable  perspective,  on  the  left  hand  as  one  goes 
out,  the  Stella,  etc.,  are  things  of  art  incomparable. 
Certainly  this  is  one  of  the  most  superb  and  royal 

1  [This  must  have  been  one  of  the  sights  of  Rome,  for  Edward 
Browne  witnessed  it  in  Januaiy,  1665  (Sir  Thomas  Browne's 
Works,  1 836,  i.  86).  Lassels  also  "  once  saw  a  circumcision,  but 
[he  says]  it  was  so  painfull  to  the  child,  that  it  was  able  to  make 
a  man  heartily  thank  God  that  he  is  a  Christian"  (ii.  81). 

2  [Painted  from  the  designs  of  Raphael,  by  John  of  Udine,  his 
scholar.] 


206  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

apartments  in  the  world,  much  too  beautiful  for  a 
guard  of  gigantic  Switzers,  who  do  nothing  but 
drink  and  play  at  cards  in  it.  Going  up  these 
stairs  is  a  painting  of  St.  Peter,  walking  on  the  sea 
towards  our  Saviour. 

Out  of  this  I  went  into  another  hall,  just  before 
the  chapel,  called  the  Sala  del  Conclave,  full 
of  admirable  paintings ;  amongst  others  is  the 
Assassination  of  Coligni,  the  great  [Protestant] 
French  Admiral,  murdered  by  the  Duke  of  Guise, 
in  the  Parisian  massacre  at  the  nuptials  of  Henry 
IV.  with  Queen  Margaret ;  under  it  is  written, 
"  Coligni  et  sociorum  casdes  " :  on  the  other  side, 
"  Rex  Coligni  necem  probat."^ 

There  is  another  very  large  picture,^  under  which 
is  inscribed  : 

Alexander  Papa  HI.,  Frederici  Primi  Imperatoris  iram  et 
impetum  fugiens,  abdidit  se  Venetijs;  cognitum  et  a  senatii 
perhonorifice  susceptum,  Othone  Imperatoris  filio  navali 
praelio  victo  captoq ;  Fredericus,  pace  facta,  supplex  adorat ; 
fidem  et  obedientiam  pollicitus.  Ita  Pontifici  sua  dignitas 
Venet.  Reip.  beneficio  restituta  aicLxxviii. 

This  inscription  I  the  rather  took  notice  of,  be- 
cause Urban  VIII.  had  caused  it  to  be  blotted  out 
during  the  difference  between  him  and  that  State  ; 
but  it  was  now  restored  and  refreshed  by  his 
successor,  to  the  great  honour  of  the  Venetians. 
The  Battle  of  Lepanto  is  another  fair  piece  here.^ 

1  [Keysler  says  this  picture  was  by  Vasari.  But  when  he 
wrote,  the  second  inscription  had  for  some  time  been  covered 
"with  a  Uttle  gilded  border."] 

2  Pope  Alexander  III.,  flying  from  the  wrath  and  violence  of 
the  Emperor  Frederick  I.,  took  shelter  at  Venice,  where  he  was 
acknowledged,  and  most  honourably  received  by  the  Senate. 
The  Emperor's  son,  Otho,  being  conquered  and  taken  in  a  naval 
battle,  the  Emperor,  having  made  peace,  became  a  suppliant  to 
the  Pope,  promising  fealty  and  obedience.  Thus  his  dignity 
was  restored  to  the  Pontiff",  by  the  aid  of  the  Republic  of  \^enice, 
MCLxxvin.     The  picture  is  by  Gioseppe  Salvioti. 

2   ["  The  famous  sea-fight  against  the  Turks  at  Lepanto  in  the 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  207 


Now  we  came  into  the  Pope's  chapel,  so  much 
celebrated  for  the  Last  Judgment  painted  by  M. 
Angelo  liuonarotti.  It  is  a  painting  in  fresco,  upon 
a  dead  wall  at  the  upper  end  of  the  chapel,  just 
over  the  high  altar,  of  a  vast  design  and  miraculous 
fancy,  considering  the  multitude  of  naked  figures 
and  variety  of  posture.  The  roof  also  is  full  of 
rare  work.  Hence,  we  went  into  the  sacristia, 
where  were  showed  all  the  most  precious  vestments, 
copes,  and  furniture  of  the  chapel.  One  priestly 
cope,  with  the  whole  suite,  had  been  sent  from 
one  of  our  English  Henrys,  and  is  shown  for  a 
great  rarity.^  There  were  divers  of  the  Pope's  pan- 
toufles  that  are  kissed  on  his  foot,  having  rich  jewels 
embroidered  on  the  instep,  covered  with  crimson 
velvet ;  also  his  tiara,  or  triple  crown,  divers  mitres, 
crosiers,  etc.,  all  bestudded  with  precious  stones, 
gold,  and  pearl,  to  a  very  great  value  ;  a  very  large 
cross,  carved  (as  they  affirm)  out  of  the  holy  wood 
itself;  numerous  utensils  of  crystal,  gold,  agate, 
amber,  and  other  costly  materials  for  the  altar. 

We  then  went  into  those  chambers  painted  with 
the  Histories  of  the  burning  of  Rome,  quenched  by 
the  procession  of  a  Crucifix  ;  the  victory  of  Con- 
stantine  over  Maxentius  ;  St.  Peter's  delivery  out 
of  Prison  ;  all  by  Julio  Romano,  and  are  therefore 
called  the  Painters'  Academy,  because  you  always 
find    some   young   men   or   other   designing   from 

pontificate  of  Pius  V.  is  the  joint  work  of  Frederico  and  Taddeo 
Zuccari,  Donato  de  Formello^  and  Livio  Agresti "  (Keysler,  ii. 
284).  See  also  post,  account  of  the  Courts  of  Justice  at  Venice, 
1645,  p.  294.] 

1  [This  must  have  been  "  the  neat  Chasuble  of  cloth  of  tyssue 
with  the  pictures  of  the  ministring  the  seave?i  Sacraments,  all 
embroidered  in  it  in  silk  and  gold  so  rarely,  that  the  late  Lord 
Maresckal  of  Englaiid  Tho.  Earle  of  Arundel  [d.  l646],  got  leave 
to  have  it  painted  out,  and  so  much  the  more  willingly,  because 
it  had  been  given  to  the  Pope  by  King  Henry  the  1111.  a  little 
before  his  Schis?ne"  (Lassels,  ii.  p.  51).] 


208  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


them :  a  civility  which  is  not  refused  in  Italy, 
where  any  rare  pieces  of  the  old  and  best  masters 
are  extant,  and  which  is  the  occasion  of  breeding 
up  many  excellent  men  in  that  profession. 

The  Sala  Clementina's  sojfitta  is  painted  by 
Cherubin  Alberti  ^  with  an  ample  landscape  of  Paul 
Bril's. 

We  were  then  conducted  into  a  new  gallery, 
whose  sides  were  painted  with  views  of  the  most 
famous  places,  towns,  and  territories  in  Italy,  rarely 
done,  and  upon  the  roof  the  chief  Acts  of  the 
Roman  Church  since  St.  Peter's  pretended  See 
there.  It  is  doubtless  one  of  the  most  magnificent 
galleries  in  Europe. — Out  of  this  we  came  into  the 
Consistory,  a  noble  room,  the  volto  painted  in 
grotesque,  as  I  remember.  At  the  upper  end,  is 
an  elevated  throne  and  a  baldacdnno,  or  canopy  of 
state,  for  his  Holiness,  over  it. 

From  thence,  through  a  very  long  gallery 
(longer,  I  think,  than  the  French  Kings'  at  the 
Louvre),  but  only  of  bare  walls,  we  were  brought 
into  the  Vatican  Library.  This  passage  was  now 
full  of  poor  people,  to  each  of  whom,  in  his  passage 
to  St.  Peter's,  the  Pope  gave  a  messo  grosse.  I 
believe  they  were  in  number  near  1500  or  2000 
persons. 

This  library  is  the  most  nobly  built,  furnished, 
and  beautified  of  any  in  the  world  ;  ample,  stately, 
light,  and  cheerful,  looking  into  a  most  pleasant 
garden.  The  walls  and  roof  are  painted,  not  with 
antiques  and  grotesques,  like  our  Bodleian  at 
Oxford,  but  emblems,  figures,  diagrams,  and  the 
like  learned  inventions,  found  out  by  the  wit  and 
industry  of  famous  men,  of  which  there  are  now 
whole  volumes  extant.  There  were  likewise  the 
effigies  of  the  most  illustrious  men  of  letters  and 
fathers  of  the  church,  with  divers  noble  statues,  in 

1  [Cherubino  Alberti,  155^2-1615.] 


1015 


JOHN  EVELYN  209 


white  marble,  at  tlie  entrance,  viz.  Hippolytus  and 
Aristides.  The  General  Councils  are  painted  on 
the  side-walls.  As  to  the  ranging  of  the  books, 
they  are  all  shut  up  in  presses  of  wainscot,  and  not 
exposed  on  shelves  to  the  open  air,  nor  are  the  most 
precious  mixed  amongst  the  more  ordinary,  which 
are  showed  to  the  curious  only  ;  such  are  those 
two  Virgils  written  on  parchment,  of  more  than  a 
thousand  years  old ;  the  like,  a  Terence  ;  ^  the 
Acts  of  the  Apostles  in  golden  capital  letters  ; 
Petrarch's  Epigrams,  written  with  his  own  hand ; 
also  a  Hebrew  parchment,  made  up  in  the  ancient 
manner,  from  whence  they  were  first  called 
Volumina,  with  the  Cornua  ;  but  what  we  English 
do  much  inquire  after,  the  book  which  our  Henry 
VIII.  writ  against  Luther.^ 

The  largest  room  is  100  paces  long ;  at  the  end 
is  the  gallery  of  printed  books  ;  then  the  gallery  of 
the  Duke  of  Urban's  library,^  in  which  are  MSS.  of 
remarkable  miniature,  and  divers  China,  Mexican, 
Samaritan,  Abyssinian,  and  other  oriental  books. 

In  another  wing  of  the  edifice,  200  paces  long, 
were  all  the  books  taken  from  Heidelberg,  of  which 

^  ["  Here  also  is  a  manuscript  of  Terence,  with  representations 
of  the  personce  or  masques  used  on  the  stage  by  the  ancient 
comedians"  (Keysler,  ii.  291).] 

2  This  very  book,  by  one  of  those  curious  chances  that 
occasionally  happen,  found  its  way  into  England  some  forty 
years  ago,  and  was  seen  by  Bray.  It  may  be  worth  remarking 
that  wherever,  in  the  course  of  it,  the  title  of  Defender  of  the 
Faith  was  subjoined  to  the  name  of  Henry,  the  Pope  had  drawn 
his  pen  through  the  title.  The  name  of  the  King  occurred  in 
his  own  handwriting  both  at  the  beginning  and  end ;  and  on 
the  binding  were  the  Royal  Arms.  Its  possessor  had  purchased 
it  in  Italy  for  a  few  shillings  from  an  old  book-stall.  ["  When 
it  appeared  that  I  was  come  from  England," — says  Gilbert 
Burnet, — "  King  Henry  VIII.'s  book  of  the  Seven  Sacraments, 
with  an  inscription  writ  upon  it  with  his  own  hand  to  Pope  Leo 
X.,  was  shewed  me"  (Travels  [in  1685-86],  1737,  p.  187).] 

^  [Bequeathed  to  the  Vatican  by  the  Duke  (Lassels,  ii. 
p.  64).] 

VOL.  I  P 


210  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

the  learned  Gruter,  and  other  great  scholars,  had 
been  keepers.^  These  walls  and  volto  are  painted 
with  representations  of  the  machines  invented  by 
Domenico  Fontana  for  erection  of  the  obelisks  ;  ^  and 
the  true  design  of  Mahomet's  sepulchre  at  Mecca. 

Out  of  this  we  went  to  see  the  Conclave,  where, 
during  a  vacancy,  the  Cardinals  are  shut  up  till 
they  are  agreed  upon  a  new  election  ;  the  whole 
manner  whereof  was  described  to  us. 

Hence  we  went  into  the  Pope's  Armoury,  under 
the  Library.     Over  the  door  is  this  inscription  : 

URBANUS  VIII.   LITTERIS  ARMA,  ARMA  LITTERIS. 

I  hardly  believe  any  Prince  in  Europe  is  able  to 
show  a  more  completely  furnished  library  of  Mars, 
for  the  quality  and  quantity,  which  is  40,000^  com- 
plete for  horse  and  foot,  and  neatly  kept.  Out  of 
this  we  passed  again  by  the  long  gallery,  and  at  the 
lower  end  of  it  down  a  very  large  pair  of  stairs, 
round,  without  any  steps  as  usually,  but  descending 
with  an  evenness  so  ample  and  easy,  that  a  horse- 
litter,  or  coach,  may  with  ease  be  drawn  up  ;  the 
sides  of  the  vacuity  are  set  with  columns  :  those 
at  Amboise,  on  the  Loire,  in  France,  are  some- 
thing of  this  invention,  but  nothing  so  spruce.*  By 
these,  we  descended  into  the  Vatican  gardens,  called 
Belvedere,  where  entering  first  into  a  kind  of 
court,  we  were  showed  those  incomparable  statues 
(so  famed  by  Pliny  and  others)  of  Laocoon  with 
his  three  sons  embraced  by  a  huge  serpent,  all  of 
one  entire  Parian  stone, ^  very  white  and  perfect, 

^  ["  Sent  to  Rome  by  the  Duke  of  Bavaria  after  he  had  dis- 
possessed the  Elector  Frederick  Prince  Pa  latin  of  Rhein  "  (Lassels, 
ii.  p.  65).] 

.2  [See  ante,  pp.  179  and  189-] 

3  'Lassels  says  30,000  (ii.  p.  69).] 

4  "See  ante,  p.  109.] 

^  Pliny  says  "  e.v  uno  lapide."  But  the  Vatican  group  is  said 
to  be  of  six  pieces.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  211 

somewhat  bigger  than  the  life,  the  work  of  those 
three  celebrated  sculptors,  Agesandrus,  Polydorus, 
and  Artemidorus,  Rhodians  ;  it  was  found  amongst 
the  ruins  of  Titus's  Baths,  and  placed  here.  Pliny 
says  this  statue  is  to  be  esteemed  before  all  pictures 
and  statues  in  the  world  ;  ^  and  I  am  of  his  opinion, 
for  I  never  beheld  anything  of  art  approach  it. 
Here  are  also  those  two  famous  images  of  Nilus 
with  the  Children  playing  about  him,  and  that  of 
Tiber;  Romulus  and  Remus  with  the  Wolf;  the 
dying  Cleopatra  ;  the  Venus  and  Cupid,  rare 
pieces  ;  the  Mercury  ;  Cybele  ;  Hercules  ;  Apollo  ; 
Antinous  :  most  of  which  are,  for  defence  against 
the  weather,  shut  up  in  niches  with  wainscot  doors. 
We  were  likewise  showed  the  relics  of  the  Hadrian 
Moles,  viz.  the  Pine,  a  vast  piece  of  metal  which 
stood  on  the  summit  of  that  mausoleum ;  also  a 
peacock  of  copper,  supposed  to  have  been  part  of 
Scipio's  monument. 

In  the  garden  without  this  (which  contains  a 
vast  circuit  of  ground)  are  many  stately  fountains, 
especially  two  casting  water  into  antique  lavers, 
brought  from  Titus's  Baths  ;  some  fair  grots  and 
water-works,^  that  noble  cascade  where  the  ship 
dances,  with  divers  other  pleasant  inventions, 
walks,  terraces,  meanders,  fruit  trees,  and  a  most 
goodly  prospect  over  the  greatest  part  of  the  city. 
One  fountain  under  the  gate  I  must  not  omit, 
consisting  of  three  jettos  of  water  gushing  out  of 
the  mouths  or  probosces  of  bees  (the  arms  of  the 
late  Pope),^  because  of  the  inscription  ; 

Quid  miraris  Apem,  quae  mel  de  floribus  haurit  ? 
Si  tibi  mellitam  gutture  fundit  aquam. 

^  ["  Opiis  omnibus  et  picturce  et  statuance  artis  prceferendum  " 
(Pliny.  N.H.  xxxvi.  p.  37).] 

•^  ["  Great  variety  ofGrottes  and  wetting  sports/'  says  Lassels,  ii. 
p.  69.] 

3  [Urban  VIII.  (MafFeo  Barberini),  d.  29th  July,  1644.] 


212  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

2Srd  January,  We  went  without  the  walls  of 
the  city  to  visit  St.  Paul's,  to  which  place  it  is  said 
the  Apostle  bore  his  own  head  after  Nero  had 
caused  it  to  be  cut  off.  The  church  was  founded 
by  the  great  Constantine ;  the  main  roof  is  sup- 
ported by  100  vast  columns  of  marble,  and  the 
mosaic  work  of  the  great  arch  is  wrought  with  a 
very  ancient  story  A^  440 ;  as  is  likewise  that  of 
the  facciata.  The  gates  are  brass,  made  at 
Constantinople  in  1070,  as  you  may  read  by  those 
Greek  verses  engraven  on  them.  The  Church  is 
near  500  feet  long  and  258  in  breadth,  and  has  five 
great  aisles  joined  to  it,  on  the  basis  of  one  of 
whose  columns  is  this  odd  title  :  "  Fl.  Eugenius 
Asellus  C.  C.  Prgef.  Urbis  V.  S.  I.  reparavit."  Here 
they  showed  us  that  miraculous  Crucifix  which 
they  say  spake  to  St.  Bridget :  and,  just  before  the 
Ciborio,  stand  two  excellent  statues.  Here  are 
buried  part  of  the  bodies  of  St.  Paul  and  St.  Peter. 
The  pavement  is  richly  interwoven  with  precious 
oriental  marbles  about  the  high  altar,  Avhere  are 
also  four  excellent  paintings,  whereof  one,  repre- 
senting the  stoning  of  St.  Stephen,  is  by  the  hand 
of  a  Bolognian  lady,  named  Lavinia.^  The  taber- 
nacle on  this  altar  is  of  excellent  architecture,  and 
the  pictures  in  the  Chapel  del  Sacramento  are  of 
Lanfranco.  Divers  other  relics  there  be  also  in 
this  venerable  church,  as  a  part  of  St.  Anna ;  the 
head  of  the  Woman  of  Samaria ;  the  chain  which 
bound  St.  Paul,  and  the  equuleus  '^  used  in  torment- 
ing the  primitive  Christians.  The  church  stands 
in  the  Via  Ostiensis,  about  a  mile  from  the  walls 
of  the  city,  separated  from  many  buildings  near  it 
except  the  Tre  Fontane,  to  which  (leaAdng  our 
coach)   we  walked,   going   over   the   mountain  or 

1  [Lavinia  Fontana  (Lassels,  ii.  p.  89).     She  died  at  Rome  in 
1614.] 

2  [A  wooden  rack  in  the  shape  of  a  horse.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  218 


little  rising,  upon  which  story  says  a  hundred 
seventy  and  four  thousand  Christians  had  been 
martyred  by  Maximianus,  Diocletian,  and  other 
bloody  tyrants.  On  this  stand  St.  Vincent's  and 
St.  Anastasius ;  likewise  the  Church  of  St.  Maria 
Scala  del  Cielo,  in  whose  Tribuna  is  a  very  fair 
mosaic  work.  The  Church  of  the  Tre  Fontane 
(as  they  are  called)  is  perfectly  well  built,  though 
but  small  (whereas  that  of  St.  Paul  is  but  Gothic), 
having  a  noble  cupola  in  the  middle  ;  in  this  they 
show  the  pillar  to  which  St.  Paul  was  bound,  when 
his  head  was  cut  off,  and  from  whence  it  made 
three  prodigious  leaps,  where  there  immediately 
broke  out  the  three  remaining  fountains,  which 
give  denomination  to  this  church.  The  waters  are 
reported  to  be  medicinal ;  over  each  is  erected  an 
altar  and  a  chained  ladle,  for  better  tasting  of  the 
waters.  That  most  excellent  picture  of  St.  Peter's 
Crucifixion  is  of  Guido.^ 

25th  January,  I  went  again  to  the  I^alazzo 
Farnese,  to  see  some  certain  statues  and  antiquities 
which,  by  reason  of  the  major-domo  not  being 
within,  I  could  not  formerly  obtain.  In  the  hall 
stands  that  triumphant  coloss  of  one  of  the 
family,"  upon  three  figures,  a  modern,  but  rare 
piece.  About  it  stood  some  Gladiators ;  and,  at 
the  entrance  into  one  of  the  first  chambers,  are  two 
cumbent  figures  of  Age  and  Youth,  brought  hither 
from  St.  Peter's  to  make  room  for  the  Longinus 
under  the  cupola.  Here  was  the  statue  of  a  ram 
running  at  a  man  on  horseback,  a  most  incompar- 
able expression  of  Fury,  cut  in  stone ;  and  a  table 
of  pietra  -  commessa,  very  curious.  The  next 
chamber  was  all  painted  a  fresco,  by  a  rare  hand, 

1  [According  to  Lassels,  ii.  p.  90 — an  altar-piece  in  the  Tre 
Fontane], 

-  [Alexander  Farnese,  Duke  of  Parma,  famous  in  the  Flemish 
wars]. 


214  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

as  was  the  carving  in  wood  of  the  ceihng,  which, 
as  I  remember,  was  in  cedar,  as  the  Itahan  mode 
is,  and  not  poor  plaster,  as  ours  are ;  some  of  them 
most  richly  gilt.  In  a  third  room,  stood  the 
famous  Venus,  and  the  child  Hercules  strangling 
a  serpent,  of  Corinthian  brass,  antique,  on  a  very 
curious  hasso-iilievo ;  the  sacrifice  to  Priapus ;  the 
Egyptian  Isis,  in  the  hard,  black  ophite  stone, 
taken  out  of  the  Pantheon,  greatly  celebrated  by 
the  antiquaries :  likewise  two  tables  of  brass,  con- 
taining divers  old  Roman  laws.  At  another  side 
of  this  chamber,  was  the  statue  of  a  wounded 
Amazon  falling  from  her  horse,  worthy  the  name 
of  the  excellent  sculptor,  whoever  the  artist  was. 
Near  this  was  a  basso-rilievo  of  a  Bacchanalia,  with  a 
most  curious  Silenus.  The  fourth  room  was  totally 
environed  with  statues ;  especially  observable  was 
that  so  renowned  piece  of  a  Venus  looking  back- 
ward over  her  shoulder,  and  divers  other  naked 
figures,  by  the  old  Greek  masters.  Over  the  doors 
are  two  Venuses,  one  of  them  looking  on  her  face 
in  a  glass,  by  M.  Angelo ;  the  other  is  painted  by 
Caracci.  I  never  saw  finer  faces,  especially  that 
under  the  mask,  whose  beauty  and  art  are  not  to 
be  described  by  words.  The  next  chamber  is  also 
full  of  statues  ;  most  of  them  the  heads  of  philo- 
sophers, very  antique.  One  of  the  Caesars  and 
another  of  Hannibal  cost  1200  crowns.  Now  I 
had  a  second  view  of  that  never-to-be-sufficiently- 
admired  gallery,  painted  in  deep  rilievo,  the  work 
of  ten  years'  study,  for  a  trifling  reward.  In  the 
wardrobe  above  they  showed  us  fine  wrought  plate, 
porcelain,  mazers^  of  beaten  and  solid  gold,  set  with 
diamonds,  rubies,  and  emeralds ;  a  treasure,  especi- 
ally the  workmanship  considered,  of  inestimable 
value.     This  is  all  the  Duke  of  Parma's.     Nothing 

1  [A    mazer    is    a   bowl-shaped    drinking   vessel — sometimes 
having  a  low  foot.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  215 


seemed  to  be  more  curious  and  rare  in  its  kind  tlian 
the  complete  service  of  the  purest  crystal,  for  the 
altar  of  the  chapel,  the  very  bell,  cover  of  a  book, 
sprinkler,  etc.,  were  all  of  the  rock,  incomparably 
sculptured,  with  the  holy  story  in  deep  levati\ 
thus  was  also  wrought  the  crucifix,  chalice,  vases, 
flower-pots,  the  largest  and  purest  crystal  that  my 
eyes  ever  beheld.  Truly  1  looked  on  this  as  one 
of  the  greatest  curiosities  I  had  seen  in  Rome.  In 
another  part  were  presses  furnished  with  antique 
arms,  German  clocks,  perpetual  motions,  watches, 
and  curiosities  of  Indian  works.  A  very  ancient 
picture  of  Pope  Eugenius  ;  a  St.  Bernard ;  and  a 
head  of  marble  found  long  since,  supposed  to  be  a 
true  portrait  of  our  Blessed  Saviour's  face. 

Hence,  we  went  to  see  Dr.  Gibbs,^  a  famous  poet 
and  countryman  of  ours,  who  had  some  intendency 
in  an  Hospital  built  on  the  Via  Triumphalis,  called 
Christ's  Hospital,  which  he  showed  us.  The 
Infirmatory,  where  the  sick  lay,  was  paved  with 
various  coloured  marbles,  and  the  walls  hung  with 
noble  pieces  ;  the  beds  are  very  fair  ;  in  the  middle 
is  a  stately  cupola,  under  which  is  an  altar  decked 
with  divers  marble  statues,  all  in  sight  of  the  sick, 
who  may  both  see  and  hear  mass,  as  they  lie  in 
their  beds.  The  organs  are  very  fine,  and  fre- 
quently played  on  to  recreate  the  people  in  pain. 
To  this  joins  an  apartment  destined  for  the  orphans  ; 
and  there  is  a  school :  the  children  wear  blue,  like 
ours  in  London,  at  an  hospital  of  the  same  appella- 
tion.^ Here  are  forty  nurses,  who  give  suck  to  such 
children  as  are  accidentally  found  exposed  and 
abandoned.  In  another  quarter,  are  children  of  a 
bigger  growth,  450  in  number,  who  are  taught 
letters.  In  another,  500  girls,  under  the  tuition 
of  divers  religious  matrons,  in  a  monastery,  as  it 

1  [See  ante,  p.  154.]  2  ["The  Blue  Coat  School.] 


216  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

were,  by  itself.  I  was  assured  there  were  at  least 
2000  more  maintained  in  other  places.  1  think  one 
apartment  had  in  it  near  1000  beds  ;  these  are  in  a 
very  long  room,  having  an  inner  passage  for  those 
who  attend,  with  as  much  care,  sweetness,  and 
conveniency  as  can  be  imagined,  the  Italians  being 
generally  very  neat.  Under  the  portico,  the  sick 
may  walk  out  and  take  the  air.  Opposite  to  this, 
are  other  chambers  for  such  as  are  sick  of  maladies 
of  a  more  rare  and  difficult  cure,  and  they  have 
rooms  apart.  At  the  end  of  the  long  corridor  is 
an  apothecary's  shop,  fair  and  very  well  stored ; 
near  which  are  chambers  for  persons  of  better 
quality,  who  are  yet  necessitous.  Whatever  the 
poor  bring  is,  at  their  coming  in,  delivered  to  a 
treasurer,  who  makes  an  inventory,  and  is  account- 
able to  them,  or  their  representatives  if  they  die. 

To  this  building  joins  the  house  of  the  Com- 
mendator,  who,  with  his  officers  attending  the 
sick,  make  up  ninety  persons ;  besides  a  convent 
and  an  ample  church  for  the  friars  and  priests  who 
daily  attend.  The  church  is  extremely  neat,  and 
the  sacristia  is  very  rich.  Indeed  it  is  altogether 
one  of  the  most  pious  and  worthy  foundations  I 
ever  saw.  Nor  is  the  benefit  small  which  divers 
young  physicians  and  chirurgeons  reap  by  the 
experience  they  learn  here  amongst  the  sick,  to 
whom  those  students  have  free  access.  Hence, 
we  ascended  a  very  steep  hill,  near  the  Port  St. 
Pancrazio,  to  that  stately  fountain  called  Acqua 
Paula,  being  the  aqueduct  which  Augustus  had 
brought  to  Rome,  now  re-edified  by  Paul  us  V.  ;  a 
rare  piece  of  architecture,  and  which  serves  the 
city  after  a  journey  of  thirty-five  miles,  here  pour- 
ing itself  into  divers  ample  la  vers,  out  of  the 
mouths  of  swans  and  dragons,  the  arms  of  this 
Pope.  Situate  on  a  very  high  mount,  it  makes  a 
most  glorious  show  to   the    city,  especially  when 


1641 


JOHN  EVELYN  217 


the  sun  darts  on  the  water  as  it  gusheth  out.     The 
inscriptions  on  it  are  : 

Paulus  V.  Romanus  Pontifex  Opt.  Max.  Aqua?ductus  ab 
Augusto  Cajsare  extructos,  aevi  longinqua  vetustate  collapses, 
in  ampliorem  forniam  restituit  anno  salutis  M.D.CIX. 
Pont.  V. 

And,  towards  the  fields  : 

Paulus  V.  Rom.  Pontifex  Optimus  Maximus,  priori  ductu 
longissimi  temporis  injuria  pene  diruto,  sublimiorem 


[One  or  more  leaves  are  here  wanting  in  Evelyn''s  MS., 
descriptive  of  other  parts  of  Rome,  and  of  his  leaving  the 
city.] 

Thence  to  Velletri,  a  town  heretofore  of  the 
Volsci,  where  is  a  public  and  fair  statue  of  P. 
Urban  VIII.,  in  brass,  and  a  stately  fountain  in 
the  street.  Here  we  lay,  and  drank  excellent 
wine. 

2Sth  January,  We  dined  at  Sermoneta, 
descending  all  this  morning  down  a  stony  moun- 
tain, unpleasant,  yet  full  of  olive  trees ;  and,  anon, 
pass  a  tower  built  on  a  rock,  kept  by  a  small  guard 
iigainst  the  banditti  who  infest  these  parts,  daily 
robbing  and  killing  passengers,  as  my  Lord 
Banbury  ^  and  his  company  found  to  their  cost  a 
little  before.  To  this  guard  we  gave  some  money, 
and  so  were  suffered  to  pass,  which  was  still  on 
the  Appian  to  the  Tres  Taberna?  (whither  the 
brethren  came  from  Rome  to  meet  St.  Paul, 
Acts,  c.  28) ;  the  ruins  whereof  are  yet  very  fair, 
resembling  the  remainder  of  some  considerable 
edifice,  as  may  be  judged  by  the  vast  stones  and 
fairness  of  the  arched  work.  The  country  environ- 
ing this  passage  is  hilly,  but  rich ;  on  the  right 
hand  stretches  an  ample  plain,  being  the  Pomptini 

1  [Nicholas  Knollys,  1631-74,  third  Earl  of  Banbury.] 


218  THE  DIARY  OF  ms 

Campi,  We  reposed  this  night  at  Piperno,  in  the 
post-house  without  the  town ;  and  here  I  was 
extremely  troubled  with  a  sore  hand,  from  a  mis- 
chance at  Rome,  which  now  began  to  fester,  upon 
my  base,  unlucky,  stiff-necked,  trotting,  carrion 
mule ;  which  are  the  most  wretched  beasts  in  the 
world.  In  this  town  was  the  poet  Virgil's  Camilla 
born.^ 

The  day  following,  we  were  fain  to  hire  a  strong 
convoy  of  about  thirty  firelocks,  to  guard  us 
through  the  cork-woods  (much  infested  with  the 
banditti)  as  far  as  Fossa  Nuova,  where  was  the 
Forum  Appii,  and  now  stands  a  church  with  a 
great  monastery,  the  place  where  Thomas  Aquinas 
both  studied  and  lies  buried.^  Here  we  all  alighted, 
and  were  most  courteously  received  by  the  Monks, 
who  showed  us  many  relics  of  their  learned  Saint, 
and  at  the  high  altar  the  print  forsooth  of  the 
mule's  hoof  which  he  caused  to  kneel  before  the 
Host.  The  church  is  old,  built  after  the  Gothic 
manner ;  but  the  place  is  very  agreeably  melancholy. 
After  this,  pursuing  the  same  noble  [Appian]  way 
(which  we  had  before  left  a  little),  we  found  it  to 
stretch  from  Capua  to  Rome  itself,  and  afterwards 
as  far  as  Brundusium.  It  was  built  by  that  famous 
Consul,^  twenty-five  feet  broad,  every  twelve  feet 
something  ascending  for  the  ease  and  firmer  foot- 
ing of  horse  and  man  ;  both  the  sides  are  also  a 
little  raised  for  those  who  travel  on  foot.  The 
whole  is  paved  with  a  kind  of  beach-stone,  and,  as 
I  said,  ever  and  anon  adorned  with  some  old  ruin, 
sepulchre,    or   broken   statue.       In    one    of   these 

1  [Virgil,  Bk.  vii.  of  Mneid.  Piperno — her  birthplace — was 
the  ancient  Privemum.] 

-  \^' Fossa  Nuova'' — says  Lassels — ^^ where  S.  Thomas  of  Aquin 
going  to  the  Council  of  Lyons,  fell  sick  and  dyed  "  (ii.  p.  259).] 

'^  [Appius  Claudius  Caecus,  the  Censor,  312  B.C.  The  Via 
Appia  is  about  eleven  Roman  miles  in  length.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  2m 

monuments  PanciroUus  tells  us  that,  in  the  time 
of  Paul  III.,  there  was  found  the  body  of  a  young- 
lady,  swimming  in  a  kind  of  bath  of  precious  oil, 
or  liquor,  fresh  and  entire  as  if  she  had  been  living, 
neither  her  face  discoloured,  nor  her  hair  dis- 
ordered ;  at  her  feet  burnt  a  lamp,  which  suddenly 
expired  at  the  openhig  of  the  vault ;  having  flamed, 
as  was  computed,  now  1500  years,  by  the  con- 
jecture that  she  was  Tulliola,  the  daughter  of 
Cicero,  whose  body  was  thus  found,  and  as  the 
inscription  testified.  We  dined  this  day  at 
Terracina,  heretofore  the  famous  Anxur,  which 
stands  upon  a  very  eminent  promontory,  the 
Cercean  by  name.  Whilst  meat  was  preparing, 
I  went  up  into  the  town,  and  viewed  the  fair 
remainders  of  Jupiter's  Temple,  now  converted 
into  a  church,  adorned  with  most  stately  columns ; 
its  architecture  has  been  excellent,  as  may  be 
deduced  from  the  goodly  cornices,  mouldings,  and 
huge  white  marbles  of  which  it  is  built.  Before 
the  portico  stands  a  pillar  thus  inscribed  : 

Inclyta  Gothorum  Regis  monumenta  vetusta 
Anxuri  hoc  Oculos  exposuere  loco  ; 

for,  it  seems,  Theodoric  drained  their  marches. 
On  another  more  ancient : 

Imp.  Caesar  Divi  Nervae  Filius  Nerva  Trojaims  Aug. 
Germanicus  Dacicus.  Pontif.  Max.  Trib.  Pop.  xviii.  Imp.  vi. 
Cos.  V.  p.  J).  XVIII.     Silices  sua  pecunia  stravit. 

Meaning,  doubtless,  some  part  of  the  Via  Appia^ 
Then: 

Tit.  Upio.  Aug.  optato  Pontano  Procuratori  et  Praefect. 
Classis. — Ti.  Julius.  T.  Fab.  optatus  ii.  vir. 

Here  is  likewise  a  Columna  Milliaria,  with 
something  engraven  on  it,  but  I  could  not  stay  to 
consider  it.  Coming  down  again,  I  went  towards 
the  sea-side  to  contemplate  that  stupendous  strange 


220  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

rock  and  promontory,  cleft  by  hand,  I  suppose,  for 
the  better  passage.  Within  this  is  the  Cercean 
Cave,  which  I  went  into  a  good  way ;  it  makes 
a  dreadful  noise,  by  reason  of  the  roaring  and 
impetuous  waves  continually  assaulting  the  beach, 
and  that  in  an  unusual  manner.  At  the  top,  at  an 
excessive  height,  stands  an  old  and  very  great 
castle.  We  arrived  this  night  at  Fondi,  a  most 
dangerous  passage  for  robbing ;  and  so  we  passed 
by  Galba's  villa,  and  anon  entered  the  kingdom  of 
Naples,  where,  at  the  gate,  this  epigraph  saluted 
us  :  "  Hospes,  liic  sunt  fines  Regni  Neopolitani ; 
si  amicus  advenis,  pacate  omnia  invenies,  et  malis 
moribus  pulsis,  bonas  leges."  The  Via  Appia  is 
here  a  noble  prospect ;  having  before  considered 
how  it  was  carried  through  vast  mountains  of 
rocks  for  many  miles,  by  most  stupendous  labour  : 
here  it  is  infinitely  pleasant,  beset  with  sepulchres 
and  antiquities,  full  of  sweet  shrubs  in  the  environ- 
ing hedges.  At  Fondi,  we  had  oranges  and  citrons 
for  nothing,  the  trees  growing  in  every  corner, 
charged  with  fruit. 

2^th  January,  We  descried  Mount  Cagcubus, 
famous  for  the  generous  wine  it  heretofore  pro- 
duced, and  so  rid  onward  the  Appian  Way,  beset 
with  myrtles,  lentiscuses,  bays,  pomegranates,  and 
whole  groves  of  orange  trees,  and  most  delicious 
shrubs,  till  we  came  to  Formia  [Formiee],  where 
they  showed  us  Cicero's  Tomb,  standing  in  an  olive 
grove,  now  a  rude  heap  of  stones  without  form  or 
beauty ;  for  here  that  incomparable  orator  was 
murdered.  I  shall  never  forget  how  exceedingly 
I  was  delighted  with  the  sweetness  of  this  passage, 
the  sepulchre  mixed  amongst  all  sorts  of  verdure  ; 
besides  being  now  come  within  sight  of  the  noble 
city,  Caieta  [Gaeta],  which  gives  a  surprising 
prospect  along  the  Tyrrhene  Sea,  in  manner  of  a 
theatre  :  and  here  we  beheld  that  strangely  cleft 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  221 

rock,  a  frightful  spectacle,  which  they  say  happened 
upon  the  passion  of  our  Blessed  Saviour ;  but  the 
haste  of  our  procacdo  ^  did  not  suffer  us  to  dwell 
so  long  on  these  objects  and  the  many  antiquities^ 
of  this  town  as  we  desired. 

At  FormicU,  we  saw  Cicero's  grot,  dining  at 
Mola,  and  passing  Sinuessa,  Garigliano  (once  the 
city  Minturnas),  and  beheld  the  ruins  of  that  vast 
amphitheatre  and  aqueduct  yet  standing  ;  the  river 
Liris,  which  bounded  the  old  Latium,  Falernus,  or 
Mons  Massicus,  celebrated  for  its  wine,  now  named 
Garo  ;  and  this  night  we  lodged  at  a  little  village, 
called  St.  Agatha,  in  the  Falernian  Fields,  near  to 
Aurunca  and  Sessa. 

The  next  day,  having  passed  [the  river] 
Vulturnus,  we  come  by  the  Torre  di  Francolisi, 
where  Hannibal,  in  danger  from  Fabius  Maximus, 
escaped  by  debauching  his  enemies  ;-  and  so  at 
last  we  entered  the  most  pleasant  plains  of 
Campania,  now  called  Terra  di  Lavoro  ;  in  very 
truth,  I  think,  the  most  fertile  spot  that  ever  the 
sun  shone  upon.  Here  we  saw  the  slender  ruins 
of  the  once  mighty  Capua,  contending  at  once 
both  with  Rome  and  Carthage,  for  splendour  and 
empire,  now  nothing  but  a  heap  of  rubbish,  except 
showing  some  vestige  of  its  former  magnificence 
in  pieces  of  temples,  arches,  theatres,  columns, 
ports,  vaults,  colosses,  etc.,  confounded  together 
by  the  barbarous  Goths  and  Longobards ;  there  is, 
however,  a  new  city,  nearer  to  the  road  by  two 
miles,  fairly  raised  out  of  these  heaps.  The  passage 
from  this  town  to  Naples  (which  is  about  ten  or 
twelve  English  post  miles)  is  as  straight  as  a  line, 
of  great  breadth,  fuller  of  travellers  than  I 
remember  any  of  our  greatest  and  most  frequented 

1  ["  The  Guide  or  Messenger  in  Italy,  which  in  the  morning 
calls  to  horse"  (Miscellaneous  WntingSy  1825,  p.  49  ».).] 

2  [7th  December,  43  b.c] 


222  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

roads  near  London ;  but,  what  is  extremely  pleas- 
ing, is  the  great  fertility  of  the  fields,  planted  with 
fruit-trees,  whose  boles  are  serpented  with  excellent 
vines,  and  they  so  exuberant,  that  it  is  commonly 
reported  one  vine  will  load  five  mules  with  its 
grapes.  What  adds  much  to  the  pleasure  of  the 
sight  is,  that  the  vines,  climbing  to  the  summit  of 
the  trees,  reach  in  festoons  and  fruitages  from  one 
tree  to  another,  planted  at  exact  distances,  forming 
a  more  delightful  picture  than  painting  can  describe. 
Here  grow  rice,  canes  for  sugar,  olives,  pome- 
granates, mulberries,  citrons,  oranges,  figs,  and 
other  sorts  of  rare  fruits.  About  the  middle  of 
the  way  is  the  town  Aversa,^  whither  came  three 
or  four  coaches  to  meet  our  lady-travellers,  of 
whom  we  now  took  leave,  having  been  very  merry 
by  the  way  with  them  and  the  capitdno,  their 
gallant. 

31^^  January,  About  noon,  we  entered  the  city 
of  Naples,  alighting  at  the  Three  Kings,  where  we 
found  the  most  plentiful  fare  all  the  time  we  were 
in  Naples.  Provisions  are  wonderfully  cheap ;  we 
seldom  sat  down  to  fewer  than  eighteen  or  twenty 
dishes  of  exquisite  meat  and  fruits. 

The  morrow  after  our  arrival,  in  the  afternoon, 
we  hired  a  coach  to  carry  us  about  the  town. 
First,  we  went  to  the  castle  of  St.  Elmo,^  built  on 
a  very  high  rock,  whence  we  had  an  entire  prospect 
of  the  whole  city,  which  lies  in  shape  of  a  theatre 
upon  the  sea -brink,  with  all  the  circumjacent 
islands,  as  far  as  Capreae,^  famous  for  the  debauched 
recesses  of  Tiberius.  This  fort  is  the  bridle  of  the 
whole   city,   and  was  well  stored  and   garrisoned 

^  ["  Here  it  was  that  Queen  loanne  of  Naples  strangled  her 
husband  Andreasso,  and  was  herself  not  long  after,  served  so  too 
in  the  same  place  "  (Lassels,  ii.  p.  26*9).] 
;Built  by  Charles  VI.] 
Capri,  off  the  coast  of  Campania.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  223 


with  native  Spaniards.^  Tlie  strangeness  of  the 
precipice  and  rareness  of  the  prospect  of  so  many 
magnificent  and  stately  palaces,  churches,  and 
monasteries,  with  the  Arsenal,  the  Mole,  and 
Mount  Vesuvius  in  the  distance,  all  in  full  com- 
mand of  the  eye,  make  it  one  of  the  richest  land- 
scapes in  the  world. 

Hence,  we  descended  to  another  strong  castle, 
called  II  Castello  Nuovo,^  which  protects  the 
shore ;  but  they  would  by  no  entreaty  permit  us 
to  go  in ;  the  outward  defence  seems  to  consist 
but  in  four  towers,  very  high,  and  an  exceeding- 
deep  graff,  with  thick  walls.  Opposite  to  this  is 
the  tower  of  St.  Vincent,  which  is  also  very 
strong. 

Then  we  went  to  the  very  noble  Palace  of  the 
Viceroy,  partly  old,  and  part  of  a  newer  work  ;  but 
we  did  not  stay  long  here.  Towards  the  evening, 
we  took  the  air  upon  the  Mole,  a  street  on  the 
rampart,  or  bank,  raised  in  the  sea  for  security  of 
their  galleys  in  port,  built  as  that  of  Genoa.  Here 
I  observed  a  rich  fountain  in  the  middle  of  the 
piazza,  and  adorned  with  divers  rare  statues  of 
copper,  representing  the  Sirens,  or  Deities  of  the 
Parthenope,  spouting  large  streams  of  water  into 
an  ample  shell,  all  of  cast  metal,  and  of  great  cost. 
This  stands  at  the  entrance  of  the  Mole,  where  we 
met  many  of  the  nobihty  both  on  horseback  and 
in  their  coaches  to  take  thtt  fresco  from  the  sea,  as 
the  manner  is,  it  being  in  the  most  advantageous 
quarter  for  good  air,  delight  and  prospect.  Here 
we  saw  divers  goodly  horses  who  handsomely 
become  their  riders,  the  Neapolitan  gentlemen. 
This  Mole  is  about  500  paces  in  length,  and  paved 
with  a  square  hewn  stone.     From  the  Mole,  we 

^  [Naples  was  at  this  date  under  the  Spaniards,  who  held  it 
of  the  Pope  (see  post,  p.  238).] 
*  [Built  by  Charles  of  Anjou.] 


224  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

ascend  to  a  church  of  great  antiquity,  formerly 
sacred  to  Castor  and  Pollux,  as  the  Greek  letters 
carved  on  the  architrave  and  the  busts  of  their  two 
statues  testify.  It  is  now  converted  into  a  stately 
oratory  by  the  Theatines. 

The  Cathedral  is  a  most  magnificent  pile,  and 
except  St.  Peter's  in  Rome,  Naples  exceeds  all 
cities  for  stately  churches  and  monasteries.  We 
were  told  that  this  day  the  blood  of  St.  Januarius 
and  his  head  should  be  exposed,  and  so  we  found 
it,  but  obtained  not  to  see  the  miracle  of  the  boiling 
of  this  blood.^  The  next  we  went  to  see  was  St. 
Peter's,  richly  adorned,  the  chapel  especially,  where 
that  Apostle  said  mass,  as  is  testified  on  the  wall. 

After  dinner,  we  went  to  St.  Dominic,  where 
they  showed  us  the  crucifix  that  is  reported  to 
have  said  these  words  to  St.  Thomas,^  "Bene  de 
me  scripsisti,  Thorn  a."  Hence,  to  the  Padri 
Olivetani,  famous  for  the  monument  of  the  learned 
Alexander-ab-Alexandro. 

We  proceeded,  the  next  day,  to  visit  the  church 
of  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  where  we  spent  much 
time  in  surveying  the  chapel  of  Joh.  Jov.  Pontanus,^ 
and  in  it  the  several  and  excellent  sentences  and 
epitaphs  on  himself,  wife,  children,  and  friends,  full 
of  rare  wit,  and  worthy  of  recording,  as  we  find 
them  in  several  writers.  In  the  same  chapel  is 
showed  an  arm  of  Titus  Livius,  with  this  epigraph : 
"Titi  Livij  brachium  quod  Anton.  Panormita  a 
Patavinis  impetravit,  Jo.  Jovianus  Pontanus  multos 
post  annos  hoc  in  loco  ponendum  curavit." 

1  [S.  Januarius  was  Bishop  of  Benevent  and  Patron  of  Naples. 
Lassels  describes  the  miracle  Evelyn  did  not  see.  The  blood  of 
the  Saint,  "  being  conserved  in  a  little  glasse  and  concrete,  melts 
and  growes  liquid  when  its  placed  neare  to  his  Head,  and  even 
bubles  in  the  g/asse"  (ii.  p.  274).] 

2  [Aquinas.] 

^  [A  famous  lawyer,  author  of  the  Genialmm  Dienim.  He  died 
in  1523.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  225 

Climbing  a  steep  hill,  we  came  to  the  monastery 
and  Church  of  the  Carthusians,^  from  whence  is  a 
most  goodly  prospect  towards  the  sea  and  city,  the 
one  full  of  galleys  and  ships,  the  other  of  stately 
palaces,  churches,  monasteries,  castles,  gardens, 
delicious  fields  and  meadows,  Mount  Vesuvius 
smoking,  the  Promontory  of  Minerva  and  Misenum, 
Capreas,  Prochyta,  Ischia,  Pausilippus,  Puteoli,  and 
the  rest,  doubtless  one  of  the  most  divertissant  and 
considerable  vistas  in  the  world.  The  church  is 
most  elegantly  built;  the  very  pavements  of  the 
common  cloister  being  all  laid  with  variously 
polished  marbles,  richly  figured.  They  showed  us 
a  massy  cross  of  silver,  much  celebrated  for  the 
workmanship  and  carving,  and  said  to  have  been 
fourteen  years  in  perfecting.  The  choir  also  is  of 
rare  art ;  but  above  all  to  be  admired,  is  the  yet 
unfinished  church  of  the  Jesuits,  certainly,  if 
accomplished,  not  to  be  equalled  in  Europe. 
Hence,  we  passed  by  the  Palazzo  Caraffi,  full  of 
ancient  and  very  noble  statues  :  also  the  Palace  of 
the  Orsini.  The  next  day,  we  did  little  but  visit 
some  friends,  English  merchants,  resident  for  their 
negotiation ;  only  this  morning  at  the  Viceroy's 
Cavallerizza  I  saw  the  noblest  horses  that  I  had 
ever  beheld,  one  of  his  sons  riding  the  manege  with 
that  address  and  dexterity  as  I  had  never  seen 
anything  approach  it. 

Uh  February,  We  were  invited  to  the  collection 
of  exotic  rarities  in  the  Museum  of  Ferdinando 
Imperati,  a  Neapolitan  nobleman,  and  one  of  the 
most  observable  palaces  in  the  city,  the  repository 
of  incomparable  rarities.  Amongst  the  natural 
herbals  most  remarkable  was  the  byssus  marina 
and  pinna  marina ;  the  male  and  female  chamelion ; 
an  onocrotahis  ;  ^  an  extraordinary  great  crocodile  ; 

1  [St.  Martin's.]  2  [See  ante,  p.  SS.] 

VOL.  I  Q 


226  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

some  of  the  Orcades  anates,  held  here  for  a  great 
rarity ;  Hkewise  a  salamander  ;  the  male  and  female 
manucodiata^  the  male  having  a  hollow  in  the 
back,  in  which  it  is  reported  the  female  both  lays 
and  hatches  her  eggs ;  the  mandragoras,  of  both 
sexes  ;  papyrus,  made  of  several  reeds,  and  some 
of  silk ;  tables  of  the  rinds  of  trees,  written  with 
Japonic  characters ;  another  of  the  branches  of 
palm ;  many  Indian  fruits ;  a  crystal  that  had  a 
quantity  of  un congealed  water  within  its  cavity ; 
a  petrified  fisher's  net ;  divers  sorts  of  tarantulas, 
being  a  monstrous  spider,  with  lark-like  claws,  and 
somewhat  bigger. 

Wi  February,  This  day  we  beheld  the  Vice-king's 
procession,  which  was  very  splendid  for  the  relics, 
banners,  and  music  that  accompanied  the  Blessed 
Sacrament.  The  ceremony  took  up  most  of  the 
morning. 

^th.  We  went  by  coach  to  take  the  air,  and 
see  the  diversions,  or  rather  madness,  of  the 
Carnival ;  the  courtesans  (who  swarm  in  this  city 
to  the  number,  as  we  are  told,  of  30,000,  registered 
and  paying  a  tax  to  the  State)  flinging  eggs  of 
sweet  water  into  our  coach,  as  we  passed  by  the 
houses  and  windows.  Indeed,  the  town  is  so 
pestered  with  these  cattle,  that  there  needs  no 
small  mortification  to  preserve  from  their  enchant- 
ment, whilst  they  display  all  their  natural  and 
artificial  beauty,  play,  sing,  feign  compliment,  and 
by  a  thousand  studied  devices  seek  to  inveigle 
foolish  young  men. 

1th,  The  next  day,  being  Saturday,  we  went 
four  miles  out  of  town  on  mules,  to  see  that 
famous  volcano.  Mount  Vesuvius.  Here  we  pass 
a  fair  fountain,  called  Labulla,  which  continually 
boils,  supposed  to  proceed  from  Vesuvius,  and 
thence  over  a  river  and  bridge,  where  on  a  large 

1  [The  old  name  for  bird  of  paradise.] 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  227 

upright   stone,   is   engraven    a   notable  inscription 
relative  to  the  memorable  eruption  in  1630.^ 

Approaching  the  hill,  as  we  were  able  with  our 
mules,  we  alighted,  crawling  up  the  rest  of  the 
proclivity  with  great  difficulty,  now  with  our  feet, 
now  with  our  hands,  not  without  many  untoward 
slips  which  did  much  bruise  us  on  the  various 
coloured  cinders,  with  which  the  whole  mountain 
is  covered,  some  like  pitch,  others  full  of  perfect 
brimstone,  others  metallic,  interspersed  with  in- 
numerable pumices  (of  all  which  I  made  a  collec- 
tion), we  at  the  last  gained  the  summit  of  an 
extensive  altitude.  Turning  our  faces  towards 
Naples,  it  presents  one  of  the  goodliest  prospects 
in  the  world  ;  all  the  Baise,  Cumse,  Elysian  Fields, 
Capreas,  Ischia,  Prochyta,  Misenus,  Puteoli,  that 
goodly  city,  with  a  great  portion  of  the  Tyrrhene 
Sea,  offering  themselves  to  your  view  at  once,  and 
at  so  agreeable  a  distance,  as  nothing  can  be  more 
delightful.  The  mountain  consists  of  a  double  top, 
the  one  pointed  very  sharp,  and  commonly  appear- 
ing above  any  clouds,  the  other  blunt.  Here,  as 
we  approached,  we  met  many  large  gaping  clefts 
and  chasms,  out  of  which  issued  such  sulphureous 
blasts  and  smoke,  that  we  durst  not  stand  long 
near  them.  Having  gained  the  very  summit,  I 
laid  myself  down  to  look  over  into  that  most 
frightful  and  terrible  vorago^  a  stupendous  pit  of 
near  three  miles  in  circuit,  and  half  a  mile  in 
depth,  by  a  perpendicular  hollow  cliff  (like  that 
from  the  highest  part  of  Dover  Castle),  with  now 
and  then  a  craggy  prominency  jetting  out.  The 
area  at  the  bottom  is  plane,  like  an  even  floor, 
which  seems  to  be  made  by  the  wind  circling  the 
ashes  by  its  eddy  blasts.     In  the  middle  and  centre 

^  It   may    be    seen    at    length   in   Wright's    Traveb,  and    in 
M.  Misson's  New  Voyage  to  Italy. 
2  [Crater,  abyss.] 


228  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


is  a  hill,  shaped  like  a  great  brown  loaf,  appear- 
ing to  consist  of  sulphureous  matter,  continually 
vomiting  a  foggy  exhalation,  and  ejecting  huge 
stones  with  an  impetuous  noise  and  roaring,  like 
the  report  of  many  muskets  discharging.  This 
horrid  barathrum  ^  engaged  our  attention  for  some 
hours,  both  for  the  strangeness  of  the  spectacle, 
and  the  mention  which  the  old  histories  make  of 
it,  as  one  of  the  most  stupendous  curiosities  in 
nature,  and  which  made  the  learned  and  inquisitive 
Pliny  adventure  his  life  to  detect  the  causes,  and 
to  lose  it  in  too  desperate  an  approach.^  It  is 
likewise  famous  for  the  stratagem  of  the  rebel, 
Spartacus,  who  did  so  much  mischief  to  the  State, 
lurking  amongst  and  protected  by,  these  horrid 
caverns,  when  it  was  more  accessible  and  less 
dangerous  than  it  is  now ;  but  especially  notorious 
it  is  for  the  last  conflagration,  when,  in  anno  1630,^ 
it  burst  out  beyond  what  it  had  ever  done  in  the 
memory  of  history ;  throAving  out  huge  stones  and 
fiery  pumices  in  such  quantity,  as  not  only  en- 
vironed the  whole  mountain,  but  totally  buried 
and  overwhelmed  divers  towns  and  their  inhabit- 
ants, scattering  the  ashes  more  than  a  hundred 
miles,  and  utterly  devastating  all  those  vineyards, 
where  formerly  grew  the  most  incomparable 
Greco ;  when,  bursting  through  the  bowels  of  the 
earth,  it  absorbed  the  very  sea,  and,  with  its 
whirling  waters,  drew  in  divers  galleys  and  other 
vessels  to  their  destruction,  as  is  faithfully  recorded. 
We  descended  with  more  ease  than  we  climbed  up, 
through  a  deep  valley  of  pure  ashes,  which  at  the 
late  eruption  was  a  flowing  river  of  melted  and 

1  [Gult;  abyss.] 

-  "He  died  24th  August,  a.d.  79,  during  the  eruption  of 
Vesuvius,  which  ovenvhelmed  Pompeii  and  Herculaneum.] 

8  [1631  (17th  December)  when  Torre  del  Greco  and  4000 
persons  were  destroyed.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  229 


burning  brimstone,  and  so  came  to  our  mules  at 
the  foot  of  the  mountain. 

On  Sunday,  we  with  our  guide  visited  the  so 
much  celebrated  Baiae,  and  natural  rarities  of  the 
places  adjacent  Here  we  entered  the  mountain 
Pausilippus,  at  the  left  hand  of  which  they  showed 
us  Virgil's  sepulchre  erected  on  a  steep  rock,  in 
form  of  a  small  rotunda  or  cupolated  column,  but 
almost  overgrown  with  bushes  and  wild  bay  trees. 
At  the  entrance  is  this  inscription : 

Stanisi  Cencovius. 

1589. 

Qui  cineres  ?     Tumuli  haec  vestigia,  conditur  olim 

Ille  hoc  qui  cecinit  Pascua,  Rura  Duces. 

Can.  Ree  MDLIII.i 

After  we  were  advanced  into  this  noble  and 
altogether  wonderful  crypt,  consisting  of  a  passage 
spacious  enough  for  two  coaches  to  go  abreast,  cut 
through  a  rocky  mountain  near  three-quarters  of  a 
mile  ^  (by  the  ancient  Cimmerii  as  reported,  but  as 
others  say  by  L.  Cocceius,  who  employed  a  hundred 
thousand  men  on  it),  we  came  to  the  midway, 
where  there  is  a  well  bored  through  the  diameter 
of  this  vast  mountain,  which  admits  the  light  into 
a  pretty  chapel,  hewn  out  of  the  natural  rock, 
wherein  hang  divers  lamps,  perpetually  burning. 
The  way  is  paved  under  foot ;  but  it  does  not 
hinder  the  dust,  which  rises  so  excessively  in  this 
much -frequented  passage,  that  we  were  forced  at 
mid-day   to    use   a   torch.      At    length,   we   were 

1  Such  is  the  inscription,  as  copied  by  Evelyn ;  but  as  its 
sense  is  not  very  clear,  and  as  the  Diary  contains  instances  of 
incorrectness  in  transcribing,  it  may  be  desirable  to  subjoin  the 
distich  said  (by  Keysler  in  his  Travels)  to  be  the  only  one  in 
the  whole  mausoleum : 

Quae  cineris  tumulo  haec  vestigia  ?  conditur  olim 
Ille  hoc  qui  cecinit  pascua,  rura,  duces. 

'^  ["  If  a  Man  would  form  to  himself  a  just  Idea  of  this  Place, 
he  must  fancy  a  vast  Rock  undermined  from  one  End  to  the 


230  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

delivered  from  the  bowels  of  the  earth  into  one  of 
the  most  delicious  plains  in  the  world  :  the  oranges, 
lemons,  pomegranates,  and  other  fruits,  blushing 
yet  on  the  perpetually  green  trees  ;  for  the  summer 
is  here  eternal,  caused  by  the  natural  and  adven- 
titious heat  of  the  earth,  warmed  through  the 
subterranean  fires,  as  was  shown  us  by  our  guide, 
who  alighted,  and,  cutting  up  a  turf  with  his  knife, 
and  delivering  it  to  me,  it  was  so  hot,  I  was  hardly 
able  to  hold  it  in  my  hands.  This  mountain  is 
exceedingly  fruitful  in  vines,  and  exotics  grow 
readily. 

We  now  came  to  a  lake  of  about  two  miles  in 
circumference,  environed  with  hills ;  the  water  of 
it  is  fresh  and  sweet  on  the  surface,  but  salt  at 
bottom;  some  mineral  salt  conjectured  to  be  the 
cause,  and  it  is  reported  of  that  profunditude  in 
the  middle  that  it  is  bottomless.  The  people  call 
it  Lago  d'  Agnano,  from  the  multitude  of  serpents 
which,  involved  together  about  the  spring,  fall 
down  from  the  cliffy  hills  into  it.  It  has  no  fish, 
nor  will  any  live  in  it.  We  tried  the  old  experi- 
ment on  a  dog  in  the  Grotto  del  Cane,  or  Charon's 
Cave ;  it  is  not  above  three  or  four  paces  deep, 
and  about  the  height  of  a  man,  nor  very  broad. 
Whatever  having  life  enters  it,  presently  expires. 
Of  this  we  made  trial  with  two  dogs,  one  of  which 
we  bound  to  a  short  pole  to  guide  him  the  more 
directly  into  the  further  part  of  the  den,  where  he 
was  no  sooner  entered  but — without  the  least 
noise,  or  so  much  as  a  struggle,  except  that  he 
panted  for  breath,  lolling  out  his  tongue,  his  eyes 

other,  and  a  Highway  running  thro'  it,  near  as  long  and  as 
broad  as  the  Mail  in  St.  James's  Park.  .  .  .  Towards  the  middle 
are  Two  large  Funnels,  bor'd  thro'  the  Roof  of  the  Mountain,  to 
let  in  Light  and  fresh  Air"  (Addison,  Remarks  on  Itali/,  1705, 
p.  217).  The  "  Mail  "  of  King  Edward  VII.,  it  may  be  observed, 
is  much  broader  than  it  was  in  Addison's  days.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  231 


being  fixed — we  drew  him  out  dead  to  all  appear- 
ance ;  but  immediately  plunging  him  into  the 
adjoining  lake,  within  less  than  half  an  hour  he 
recovered,  and  swimming  to  shore,  ran  away  from 
us.  We  tried  the  same  on  another  dog,  without 
the  application  of  the  water,  and  left  him  quite 
dead.  The  experiment  has  been  made  on  men,  as 
on  that  poor  creature  whom  Peter  of  Toledo  caused 
to  go  in  ;  likewise  on  some  Turkish  slaves ;  two 
soldiers,  and  other  fool-hardy  persons,  who  all 
perished,^  and  could  never  be  recovered  by  the 
water  of  the  lake,  as  are  dogs ;  for  which  many 
learned  reasons  have  been  offered,  as  Simon 
Majolus  in  his  book  of  the  Canicular-days  has 
mentioned,  colloq.  15.  And  certainly  the  most 
likely  is,  the  effect  of  those  hot  and  dry  vapours 
which  ascend  out  of  the  earth,  and  are  condensed 
by  the  ambient  cold,  as  appears  by  their  converting 
into  crystalline  drops  on  the  top,  whilst  at  the 
bottom  it  is  so  excessively  hot,  that  a  torch  being 
extinguished  near  it,  and  lifted  a  little  distance, 
was  suddenly  re-lighted.^ 

Near  to  this  cave  are  the  natural  stoves  of  St. 
Germain,^  of  the  nature  of  sudatories,  in  certain 
chambers  partitioned  with  stone  for  the  sick  to 
sweat  in,  the  vapours  here  being  exceedingly  hot, 

1  [Edward  Browne^  nineteen  years  later,  seems  to  have 
narrowly  escaped  the  fate  of  the  fool-hardy.  "  I  went  into 
the  grot  myselfe,  and  findeing  no  inconvenience  from  those 
poysonous  exhalations,  either  by  standing  or  putting  my  hand 
to  the  place  where  the  dog  died,  I  was  about  to  put  my  head  to 
it  allso  ;  when,  to  the  hindrance  of  my  satisfaction  in  this  point, 
my  companions  and  the  guide  furiously  tore  me  out  of  the  grot, 
and  I  think,  without  some  persuasione,  would  have  throwne 
me  into  the  lake  also  "  (Sir  Thomas  Browne's  Works,  1836,  i.  78).] 

2  [Addison  devotes  several  pages  of  his  Remarks  on  Italy  to 
this  famous  Grotto  (pp.  230-34),  and  he  mentions  that  a  Dr. 
Connor  made  a  Discourse  in  one  of  the  Academies  at  Rome 
upon  the  subject.] 

3  [Gennaro.] 


232  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

and  of  admirable  success  in  the  gout,  and  other 
cold  distempers  of  the  nerves.  Hence,  we  climbed 
up  a  hill,  the  very  highway  in  several  places  even 
smoking  with  heat  like  a  furnace.  The  mountains 
were  by  the  Greeks  called  Leucoggei,  and  the  fields 
Phlegraean.  Hercules  here  vanquished  the  Giants, 
assisted  with  lightning.  We  now  came  to  the 
Court  of  Vulcan,^  consisting  of  a  valley  near  a 
quarter  of  a  mile  in  breadth,  the  margent  environed 
with  steep  cliffs,  out  of  whose  sides  and  foot  break 
forth  fire  and  smoke  in  abundance,  making  a  noise 
like  a  tempest  of  water,  and  sometimes  discharging 
in  loud  reports,  like  so  many  guns.  The  heat  of 
this  place  is  wonderful,  the  earth  itself  being 
almost  insufferable,  and  which  the  subterranean 
fires  have  made  so  hollow,  by  having  wasted  the 
matter  for  so  many  years,  that  it  sounds  like  a 
drum  to  those  who  walk  upon  it ;  and  the  water 
thus  struggling  with  those  fires,  bubbles  and  spouts 
aloft  into  the  air.  The  mouths  of  these  spiracles 
are  bestrewed  with  variously  coloured  cinders, 
which  rise  with  the  vapour,  as  do  many  coloured 
stones,  according  to  the  quality  of  the  combustible 
matter,  insomuch  as  it  is  no  little  adventure  to 
approach  them.  They  are,  however,  daily  fre- 
quented both  by  sick  and  well ;  the  former  receiv- 
ing the  fumes,  have  been  recovered  of  diseases 
esteemed  incurable.  Here  we  found  a  great  deal 
of  sulphur  made,  which  they  refine  in  certain 
houses  near  the  place,  casting  it  into  canes,  to  a 
very  great  value.  Near  this  we  were  showed  a  hill 
of  alum,  where  is  one  of  the  best  mineries,  yielding 
a  considerable  revenue.  Some  flowers  of  brass  are 
found  here ;  but  I  could  not  but  smile  at  those 
who  persuade  themselves  that  here  are  the  gates 
of  purgatory  (for  which  it  may  be  they  have 
erected,   very  near   it,   a   convent,   and   named   it 

^   [The  Sulphatara  ;  or  Forum  Vulcani.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  233 


St.  Januarius)/  reporting  to  have  often  heard 
screeches  and  horrible  lamentations  proceeding  from 
these  caverns  and  volcanoes  ;  with  other  legends  of 
birds  that  are  never  seen,  save  on  Sundays,  which 
cast  themselves  into  the  lake  at  night,  appearing 
no  more  all  the  week  after. 

We  now  approached  the  ruins  of  a  very  stately 
temple,  or  theatre,  of  172  feet  in  length,  and  about 
80  in  breadth,  thrown  down  by  an  earthquake,  not 
long  since ;  it  was  consecrated  to  Vulcan,  and 
under  the  ground  are  many  strange  meanders ; 
from  which  it  is  named  the  Labyrinth  ;  this  place 
is  so  haunted  with  bats,  that  their  perpetual  flutter- 
ing endangered  the  putting  out  our  links. 

Hence,  we  passed  again  those  boiling  and 
smoking  hills,  till  we  came  to  Pozzuoli,  formerly 
the  famous  Puteoli,  the  landing-place  of  St.  Paul, 
when  he  came  into  Italy,  after  the  tempest  de- 
scribed in  the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Here  we 
made  a  good  dinner,  and  bought  divers  medals, 
antiquities,  and  other  curiosities,  of  the  country- 
people,  who  daily  find  such  things  amongst  the  very 
old  ruins  of  those  places.  This  town  was  formerly 
a  Greek  colony,  built  by  the  Samians,  a  reason- 
able commodious  port,  and  full  of  observable 
antiquities.  We  saw  the  ruins  of  Neptune's 
Temple,  to  whom  this  place  was  sacred,  and  near  it 
the  stately  Palace  and  gardens  of  Peter  de  Toledo, 
formerly  mentioned.^  Afterwards,  we  visited  that 
admirably  built  Temple  of  Augustus,  seeming  to 
have  been  hewn  out  of  an  entire  rock,  though 
indeed  consisting  of  several  square  stones.  The 
inscription  remains  thus  :  "  L.  Calphurnius  L.  E. 
Templum  Augusto  cum  ornamentis  D.D." ;  and 
under  it,  "L.  Coccejus  L.  C.  Postumi  L.  Auctus 

1  [Lassels  says  that  the  Convent  of  the  Capuchins  stands  where 
S.  Januarius  was  beheaded  (ii.  p.  295).] 

2  [See  a?iie,  p.  231.] 


234  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

Architectus."  It  is  now  converted  into  a  church, 
in  which  they  showed  us  huge  bones,  which  they 
affirm  to  have  been  of  some  giant. 

We  went  to  see  the  ruins  of  the  old  haven,  so 
compact  with  that  bituminous  sand  in  which  the 
materials  are  laid,  as  the  like  is  hardly  to  be  found, 
though  all  this  has  not  been  sufficient  to  protect 
it  from  the  fatal  concussions  of  several  earthquakes 
(frequent  here)  which  have  almost  demolished  it, 
thirteen  vast  piles  of  marble  only  remaining ;  a 
stupendous  work  in  the  bosom  of  Neptune !  To 
this  joins  the  bridge  of  Caligula,  by  which  (having 
now  embarked  ourselves)  we  sailed  to  the  pleasant 
Baise,  almost  four  miles  in  length,  all  which  way 
that  proud  Emperor  would  pass  in  triumph.  Here 
we  rowed  along  towards  a  villa  of  the  orator 
Cicero's,  where  we  were  showed  the  ruins  of  his 
Academy ;  and,  at  the  foot  of  a  rock,  his  Baths, 
the  waters  reciprocating  their  tides  with  the 
neighbouring  sea.  Hard  at  hand,  rises  Mount 
Gaurus,  being,  as  I  conceived,  nothing  save  a  heap 
of  pumices,  which  here  float  in  abundance  on  the 
sea,  exhausted  of  all  inflammable  matter  by  the 
fire,  which  renders  them  light  and  porous,  so  as 
the  beds  of  nitre,  which  lie  deep  under  them, 
having  taken  fire,  do  easily  eject  them.  They 
dig  much  for  fancied  treasure  said  to  be  concealed 
about  this  place.  From  hence,  we  coasted  near 
the  ruins  of  Portus  Julius,  where  we  might  see 
divers  stately  palaces  that  had  been  swallowed 
up  by  the  sea  after  earthquakes.  Coming  to 
shore,  we  pass  by  the  Lucrine  Lake,  so  famous 
heretofore  for  its  delicious  oysters,  now  producing 
few  or  none,  being  divided  from  the  sea  by  a 
bank  of  incredible  labour,  the  supposed  work  of 
Hercules ;  it  is  now  half  choked  up  with  rubbish, 
and  by  part  of  the  new  mountain,  which  rose 
partly  out  of  it,  and  partly  out  of  the  sea,  and 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  235 


that  in  the  space  of  one  night  and  a  day,  to  a  very 
great  altitude,  on  the  29th  September,  1538,  after 
many  terrible  earthquakes,  which  ruined  divers 
places  thereabout,  when  at  midnight  the  sea 
retiring  near  200  paces,  and  yawning  on  the 
sudden,  it  continued  to  vomit  forth  flames  and 
fiery  stones  in  such  quantity,  as  produced  this 
whole  mountain  by  their  fall,  making  the  inhabit- 
ants of  Pozzuoli  to  leave  their  habitations,  sup- 
posing the  end  of  the  world  had  been  come. 

From  the  left  part  of  this,  we  walked  to  the 
Lake  Avernus,  of  a  round  form,  and  totally  en- 
vironed with  mountains.  This  lake  was  feigned 
by  the  poet  for  the  gates  of  hell,  by  which  iEneas 
made  his  descent,  and  where  he  sacrificed  to  Pluto 
and  the  Manes.  The  waters  are  of  a  remark- 
ably black  colour ;  but  I  tasted  of  them  without 
danger  ;  hence  they  feign  that  the  river  Styx  has  its 
source.  At  one  side,  stand  the  handsome  ruins  of  a 
Temple  dedicated  to  Apollo,  or  rather  Pluto,  but 
it  is  controverted.  Opposite  to  this,  having  new 
lighted  our  torches,  we  enter  a  vast  cave,  in  which 
having  gone  about  two  hundred  paces,  we  pass 
a  narrow  entry  which  leads  us  into  a  room  of 
about  ten  paces  long,  proportionable  broad  and 
high ;  the  side  walls  and  roof  retain  still  the 
golden  mosaic,  though  now  exceedingly  decayed 
by  time.  Here  is  a  short  cell  or  rather  niche,  cut 
out  of  the  solid  rock,  somewhat  resembling  a 
couch,  in  which  they  report  that  the  Sibylla  lay, 
and  uttered  her  Oracles ;  but  it  is  supposed  by 
most  to  have  been  a  bath  only.  This  subterranean 
grot  leads  quite  through  to  Cumse,  but  is  in  some 
places  obstructed  by  the  earth  which  has  sunk  in, 
so  as  we  were  constrained  back  again,  and  to  creep 
on  our  bellies,  before  we  came  to  the  light.  It  is 
reported  Nero  had  once  resolved  to  cut  a  channel 
for  two  great  galleys  that  should  have  extended 


236  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

to  Ostia,  150  miles  distant.  The  people  now  call 
it  Licola. 

From  hence,  we  ascended  to  that  most  ancient 
city  of  Italy,  the  renowned  Cumge,  built  by  the 
Grecians.  It  stands  on  a  very  eminent  pro- 
montory, but  is  now  a  heap  of  ruins.  A  little 
below,  stands  the  Arco  Felice,  heretofore  part  of 
Apollo's  Temple,  with  the  foundations  of  divers 
goodly  buildings ;  amongst  whose  heaps  are 
frequently  found  statues  and  other  antiquities,  by 
such  as  dig  for  them.  Near  this  is  the  Lake 
Acherusia,  and  Acheron.  Returning  to  the  shore, 
we  came  to  the  Bagni  de  Tritoli  and  Diana,  which 
are  only  long  narrow  passages  cut  through  the 
main  rock,  where  the  vapours  ascend  so  hot,  that 
entering  with  the  body  erect  you  will  even  faint 
with  excessive  perspiration ;  but,  stooping  lower, 
as  sudden  a  cold  surprises.  These  sudatories  are 
much  in  request  for  many  infirmities.  Now  we 
entered  the  haven  of  the  Baige,  where  once  stood 
that  famous  town,  so  called  from  the  companion 
of  Ulysses  here  buried ;  not  without  great  reason 
celebrated  for  one  of  the  most  delicious  places 
that  the  sun  shines  on,  according  to  that  of 
Horace : 

Nullus  in  orbe  sinus  Baiis  praelucet  amoenis.^ 

Though,  as  to  the  stately  fabrics,  there  now 
remain  little  save  the  ruins,  whereof  the  most 
entire  is  that  of  Diana's  Temple,  and  another  of 
Venus.  Here  were  those  famous  pools  of  lampreys 
that  would  come  to  hand  when  called  by  name, 
as  Martial  tells  us.^     On  the  summit  of  the  rock 

1  [Horace,  Ep.  i.  1.1.  83.] 

2  [Book  iv.  Ejj.  SO  —  Ad  Piscatorem.  Izaak  Walton,  who 
translates  this  in  part  in  the  Complete  Angler  ("The  Fourth  Day"), 
further  cites  Pliny  (through  Hakewill)  to  the  effect  that  "  one 
of  the  emperors  had  particular  fish-ponds,  and,  in  them,  several 


164{ 


JOHN  EVELYN  237 


stands  a  strong  castle  garrisoned  to  protect  the 
shore  from  Turkish  pirates.  It  was  once  the 
retiring-place  of  Julius  Caesar. 

Passing  by  the  shore  again,  we  entered  Bauli/ 
observable  from  the  monstrous  murder  of  Nero 
committed  on  his  mother  Agrippina.  Her 
sepulchre  was  yet  showed  us  in  the  rock,  which 
we  entered,  being  covered  with  sundry  heads  and 
figures  of  beasts.  We  saw  there  the  roots  of  a  tree 
turned  into  stone,  and  are  continually  dropping. 

Thus  having  viewed  the  foundations  of  the  old 
Cimmeria,  the  palaces  of  Marius,  Pompey,  Nero, 
Hortensius,  and  other  villas  and  antiquities,  we 
proceeded  towards  the  promontory  of  Misenus, 
renowned  for  the  sepulchre  of  iEneas's  Trumpeter. 
It  was  once  a  great  city,  now  hardly  a  ruin,  said  to 
have  been  built  from  this  place  to  the  promontory 
of  Minerva,  fifty  miles  distant,  now  discontinued 
and  demolished  by  the  frequent  earthquakes* 
Here  was  the  villa  of  Caius  Marius,  where 
Tiberius  Caesar  died  ;  and  here  runs  the  Aqueduct, 
thought  to  be  dug  by  Nero,  a  stupendous  passage, 
heretofore  nobly  arched  with  marble,  as  the  ruins 
testify.  Hence,  we  walked  to  those  receptacles 
of  water  called  Piscina  Mirabilis,  being  a  vault  of 
500  feet  long,  and  twenty-two  in  breadth,  the  roof 
propped  up  with  four  ranks  of  square  pillars, 
twelve  in  a  row ;  the  walls  are  brick,  plastered 
over  with  such  a  composition  as  for  strength  and 
politure  resembles  white  marble.  'Tis  conceived 
to  have  been  built  by  Nero,  as  a  conservatory 
for  fresh  water ;  as  were  also  the  Cento  Camerelle, 
into  which  we  were  next  led.  All  these  crypta 
being  now  almost  sunk  into  the  earth,  show  yet 
their  former  amplitude  and  magnificence. 

fish  that  appeared  and  came  when  they  were  called  by  their 
particular  names."] 
1  [Now  Bacolo.  I 


238  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

Returning  towards  the  Baiae,  we  again  pass  the 
Elysian  Fields,  so  celebrated  by  the  poets,  not 
unworthily,  for  their  situation  and  verdure,  being 
full  of  myrtles  and  sweet  shrubs,  and  having  a 
most  delightful  prospect  towards  the  Tyrrhene 
Sea.  Upon  the  verge  of  these  remain  the  ruins 
of  the  Mercato  di  Saboto,  formerly  a  Circus ; 
over  the  arches  stand  divers  urns,  full  of  Roman 
ashes. 

Having  well  satisfied  our  curiosity  among  these 
antiquities,  we  retired  to  our  felucca,  which 
rowed  us  back  again  towards  Pozzuoli,  at  the  very 
place  of  St.  Paul's  landing.  Keeping  along  the 
shore,  they  showed  us  a  place  where  the  sea-water 
and  sands  did  exceedingly  boil.  Thence,  to  the 
island  Nesis,  once  the  fabulous  Nymph  ;  and  thus 
we  leave  the  Baias,  so  renowned  for  the  sweet 
retirements  of  the  most  opulent  and  voluptuous 
Romans.  They  certainly  were  places  of  uncommon 
amenity,  as  their  yet  tempting  site,  and  other 
x?ircumstances  of  natural  curiosities,  easily  invite 
me  to  believe,  since  there  is  not  in  the  world  so 
many  stupendous  rarities  to  be  met  with,  as  in 
the  circle  of  a  few  miles  which  environ  these 
blissful  abodes. 

%th  February,  Returned  to  Naples,  we  went 
to  see  the  Arsenal,  well  furnished  with  galleys 
and  other  vessels.  The  city  is  crowded  with 
inhabitants,  gentlemen  and  merchants.  The 
government  is  held  of  the  Pope  by  an  annual 
tribute  of  40,000  ducats  and  a  white  jennet ;  but 
the  Spaniard  trusts  more  to  the  power  of  those 
his  natural  subjects  there ;  Apulia  and  Calabria 
yielding  him  near  four  millions  of  crowns  yearly 
to  maintain  it.  The  country  is  divided  into 
thirteen  Provinces,  twenty  Archbishops,  and  one 
hundred  and  seven  Bishops ;  the  estates  of  the 
nobility,  in  default  of  the  male  line,  reverting  to 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  239 


the  King.  Besides  the  Vice-Roy,  there  are  amongst 
the  Chief  Magistrates  a  High  Constable,  Admiral, 
Chief  Justice,  Great  Chamberlain,  and  Chancellor, 
with  a  Secretary ;  these  being  prodigiously  ava- 
ricious, do  wonderfully  enrich  themselves  out  of 
the  miserable  people's  labour,  silks,  manna,  sugar, 
oil,  wine,  rice,  sulphur,  and  alum ;  for  with  all 
these  riches  is  this  delicious  country  blest.  The 
manna  falls  at  certain  seasons  on  the  adjoining 
hills  in  form  of  a  thick  dew.  The  very  winter 
here  is  a  summer,  ever  fruitful,  so  that  in  the 
middle  of  February  we  had  melons,  cherries, 
apricots,  and  many  other  sorts  of  fruit. 

The  building  of  the  city  is  for  the  size  the  most 
magnificent  of  any  in  Europe,  the  streets  exceed- 
ing large,  well -paved,  having  many  vaults  and 
conveyances  under  them  for  the  suUiage ;  which 
renders  them  very  sweet  and  clean,  even  in  the 
midst  of  winter.  To  it  belongeth  more  than  3000 
churches  and  monasteries,  and  these  the  best 
built  and  adorned  of  any  in  Italy.  They  greatly 
affect  the  Spanish  gravity  in  their  habit ;  delight 
in  good  horses ;  the  streets  are  full  of  gallants  on 
horseback,  in  coaches  and  sedans,  from  hence 
brought  first  into  England  by  Sir  Sanders  Dun- 
combe.^  The  women  are  generally  well-featured, 
but  excessively  libidinous.  The  country  people 
so  jovial  and  addicted  to  music,  that  the  very 
husbandmen  almost  universally  play  on  the  guitar, 
singing  and  composing  songs  in  praise  of  their 
sweethearts,   and  will   commonly  go  to  the   field 

1  [This  is  an  error.  The  first  user  of  the  sedan-chair  was 
George  ViUiers,  first  Duke  of  Buckingham,  to  whom  Prince 
Charles  (afterwards  Charles  I.)  gave  two  out  of  three  which  had 
been  presented  to  him  by  the  Spanish  Prime  Minister,  the 
Duke  of  Olivares.  Sir  Sanders  Duncombe  (see  ante,  p.  12)  only 
popularised  them  ("  Memoirs  of  the  Sedan  Chair/'  by  J. 
Holden  Macmichael,  Gentlevians  Magazine,  October,  1904,  p. 
402).] 


240  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


with  their  fiddle ;  they  are  merry,  witty,  and 
genial ;  all  which  I  much  attribute  to  the  excellent 
quality  of  the  air.  They  have  a  deadly  hatred  to 
the  French,  so  that  some  of  our  company  were 
flouted  at  for  wearing  red  cloaks,  as  the  mode  then 
was. 

This  I  made  the  non  ultra  of  my  travels, 
sufficiently  sated  with  rolling  up  and  down,  and  re- 
solving within  myself  to  be  no  longer  an  individuum 
vagum,  if  ever  I  got  home  again  ;  since  from  the 
report  of  divers  experienced  and  curious  persons, 
I  had  been  assured  there  was  little  more  to  be 
seen  in  the  rest  of  the  civil  world,  after  Italy, 
France,  Flanders,  and  the  Low  Countries,  but 
plain  and  prodigious  barbarism. 

Thus,  about  the  7th  of  February,^  we  set  out 
on  our  return  to  Rome  by  the  same  way  we  came, 
not  daring  to  adventure  by  sea,  as  some  of  our 
company  were  inclined  to  do,  for  fear  of  Turkish 
pirates  hovering  on  that  coast ;  nor  made  we  any 
stay  save  at  Albano,  to  view  the  celebrated  place 
and  sepulchre  of  the  famous  duellists  who  decided 
the  ancient  quarrel  between  their  imperious  neigh- 
bours with  the  loss  of  their  lives.  These  brothers, 
the  Horatii  and  Curiatii,  lie  buried  near  the 
highway,  under  two  ancient  pyramids  of  stone, 
now  somewhat  decayed  and  overgrown  with  rubbish. 
We  took  the  opportunity  of  tasting  the  wine  here, 
which  is  famous. 

Being  arrived  at  Rome  on  the  13th  February, 
we  were  again  invited  to  Signor  Angeloni's  study, ^ 
where  with  greater  leisure  we  surveyed  the  rarities, 
as  his  cabinet  and  medals  especially,  esteemed  one 
of  the  best  collections  of  them  in  Europe.  He 
also  showed  us  two  antique  lamps,  one  of  them 

^  Evelyn's  dates  in  this  portion  of  his  Diaiy — remarks  Forster 
— appear  to  require  occasionally  that  qualification  of  "  about." 
2  Ante,  p.  l67. 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  241 

dedicated  to  Pallas,  the  other  Laribus  Sacmt,  as 
appeared  by  their  inscriptions  ;  some  old  Roman 
rings  and  keys  ;  the  Egyptian  Isis,  cast  in  iron ; 
sundry  rare  basso  -  rillevos  \  good  pieces  of  paint- 
ing, principally  the  Christ  of  Correggio,  with  this 
painter  s  own  face  admirably  done  by  himself;  divers 
of  both  the  Bassanos  ;  a  great  number  of  pieces  by 
Titian,  particularly  the  Triumphs  ;  an  infinity  of 
natural  rarities,  dried  animals,  Indian  habits  and 
weapons,  shells,  etc.  ;  divers  very  antique  statues 
of  brass  :  some  lamps  of  so  fine  an  earth  that  they 
resembled  cornelians,  for  transparency  and  colour ; 
hinges  of  Corinthian  brass,  and  one  great  nail  of 
the  same  metal  found  in  the  ruins  of  Nero's  golden 
house. 

In  the  afternoon,  we  ferried  over  to  Trastevere, 
to  the  Palace  of  Chigi,^  to  review  the  works  of 
Eaphael :  and,  returning  by  St.  Angelo,  we  saw 
the  castle  as  far  as  was  permitted,  and  on  the  other 
side  considered  those  admirable  pilasters  supposed 
to  be  of  the  foundation  of  the  Pons  Sublicius,  over 
which  Horatius  Codes  passed  ;  here  anchor  three 
or  four  water-mills,  invented  by  Belizarius  :  and 
thence  had  another  sight  of  the  Farnese's  gardens, 
and  of  the  terrace  where  is  that  admirable  painting 
of  Raphael,  being  a  Cupid  playing  with  a  Dolphin, 
wrought  a  fresco,  preserved  in  shutters  of  wainscot, 
as  well  it  merits,  being  certainly  one  of  the  most 
wonderful  pieces  of  work  in  the  world. 

\Mh  February,  I  went  to  Santa  Cecilia,  a 
church  built  and  endowed  by  Cardinal  Sfondrato, 
who  has  erected  a  stately  altar  near  the  body  of 
this  martyr,  not  long  before  found  in  a  vesture  of 
silk  girt  about,  a  veil  on  her  head,  and  the  bloody 
scars  of  three  wounds  on  the  neck ;  the  body  is 
now   in   a   silver   chest,   with  her  statue  over   it, 

^  Ante,  p.  201.     [Now  the  Farnesina.] 
VOL.  1  R 


242  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

in  snow-white   marble.^      Other    Saints   lie   here, 
decorated    with    splendid    ornaments,    lamps,    and 
incensories  of  great  cost.     A  little  farther,   they 
show  us  the  Bath  of  St.  Cecilia,  to  which  joins  a 
Convent   of  Friars,  where   is  the  picture   of  the 
Flagellation   by  Vanni,  and   the   columns   of  the 
portico,  taken  from  the  Baths  of  Septimius  Severus. 
15th  February,    Mr.   Henshaw^  and  I  walked 
by  the  Tiber,  and  visited  the  Isola  Tiberina  (now 
St.  Bartholomew's),  formerly  cut  in  the  shape  of  a 
ship,  and  wharfed  with  marble,  in  which  a  lofty 
obelisk  represented  the  mast.^     In  the  Church  of 
St.    Bartholomew   is   the    body   of    the    Apostle. 
Here  are  the  ruins  of  the  Temple  of  iEsculapius, 
now  converted  into  a  stately  hospital  and  a  pretty 
convent.     Opposite  to  it,  is  the  convent  and  church 
of  St.  John  Calabita,  where  I  saw  nothing  remark- 
able,   save   an   old   broken    altar.     Here   was   the 
Temple  of  Fortuna  Virilis.     Hence,  we  went  to  a 
cupola,  now  a  church,  formerly  dedicated  to  the 
sun.     Opposite  to  it,  Santa  Maria  Schola  Grasca, 
where  formerly  that  tongue  was  taught ;  said  to  be 
the  second  church  dedicated  in  Rome  to  the  Blessed 
Virgin ;    bearing   also   the   title  of  a   Cardinalate. 
Behind  this   stands  the  great  altar   of  Hercules, 
much  demolished.     Near   this,  being  at  the   foot 
of  Mount  Aventine,  are  the   Pope's  salt-houses.* 

1  [The  silver  shrine  was  the  gift  of  Clement  VIII.^  who  was 
said  to  have  been  cured  of  the  gout  by  St.  Cecilia's  intercession 
The  Parian  marble  statue  was  the  work  of  Stephano  Maderno 
(Keysler,  ii.  p.  173).] 

2  [See  ante,  p.  135.] 

3  The  Basilica  and  Convent  of  S.  Bartolommeo  occupy  the 
western  end  of  the  island^  and  give  it  its  name.  "  The  remains 
which  exist  are  not  of  sufficient  size  to  bear  out  the  assertion 
often  made  that  the  whole  island  was  enclosed  in  the  travertine 
form  of  a  ship,  of  which  the  north-western  end  formed  the  prow 
and  the  small  obelisk  the  mast"  (Hare's  Walks  in  Rome,  by  St. 
Clair  Baddeley,  1905,  587).] 

4  [The  Salines  existed  until  1888.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  243 


Ascending  the  hill,  we  came  to  St.  Sabina,  an 
ancient  fabric,  formerly  sacred  to  Diana  ;  there,  in 
a  chapel,  is  an  admirable  picture,  the  work  of  Livia 
Fontana,^  set  about  with  columns  of  alabaster,  and 
in  the  middle  of  the  church  is  a  stone,  cast,  as  they 
report,  by  the  Devil  at  St.  Dominic,  whilst  he  was 
at  mass.^'  Hence,  we  travelled  towards  a  heap 
of  rubbish,  called  the  Marmorata,  on  the  bank  of 
the  Tiber,  a  magazine  of  stones  ;  and  near  which 
formerly  stood  a  triumphal  arch,  in  honour  of 
Horatius  vanquishing  the  Tuscans.  The  ruins  of 
the  bridge  yet  appear. 

We  were  now  got  to  Mons  Testaceus,  a  heap  of 
potsherds,  almost  200  feet  high,^  thought  to  have 
been  thrown  there  and  amassed  by  the  subjects  of 
the  Commonwealth  bringing  their  tribute  in  earthen 
vessels,  others  (more  probably)  that  it  was  a  quarter 
of  the  town  where  potters  lived ;  at  the  summit 
Rome  affords  a  noble  prospect.  Before  it  is  a 
spacious  green,  called  the  Hippodrome,  where 
Olympic  games  were  celebrated,  and  the  people 
mustered,  as  in  our  London  Artillery -Ground.* 
Going  hence,  to  the  old  wall  of  the  city,  we 
much  admired  the  pyramid,  or  tomb,  of  Caius 
Cestius,  of  white  marble,  one  of  the  most  ancient 
entire  monuments,  inserted  in  the  wall,  with  this 
inscription  : 

C.  Cestius  L.  F.  Pob.  Epulo  (an  order  of  priests)  Pr.  Tr. 
pi.  VII.  Vir.  Epulonum. 


Lavinia  Fontana ;  see  ante,  p.  212.] 


'Having  (according  to  Keysler,  ii.  p.  317)  previously  "missed 
his  throw  "  at  the  Three  Kings  of  Cologne.] 

3  [The  Monte  Testaccio  is  not  more  than  l60  feet  high.  "  It 
has  been  artificially  formed  by  shards  of  amphorae,  conveying 
corn  and  wine  to  Rome  from  Spain  and  Africa,  landed  near  this, 
and  broken  in  unloading,  between  140  and  251  a.d."  (Hare's 
Walks  in  Rome,  by  St.  Clair  Baddeley,  1905,  6 12).] 

4  [At  Finsbury.] 


244  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

And  a  little  beneath : 

Opus  absolutum  ex  testamento  diebus  CCCXXX.  arbi- 
tratu.     Ponti  P.  F.  Cla.  Melse  Heredis  et  Pothi  L. 

At  the  left  hand,  is  the  Port  of  St.  Paul,  once 
Tergemina,  out  of  which  the  three  Horatii  passed 
to  encounter  the  Curiatii  of  Albano.  Hence, 
bending  homewards  by  St.  Sabba,  by  Antoninus's 
Baths  (which  we  entered),  is  the  marble  sepulchre 
of  Vespasian.  The  thickness  of  the  walls  and 
stately  ruins  show  the  enormous  magnitude  of 
these  baths.  Passing  by  a  corner  of  the  Circus 
Maximus,  we  viewed  the  place  where  stood  the 
Septizonium,  demolished  by  Sixtus  V.,  for  fear  of 
its  falling.  Going  by  Mons  Caelius,  we  beheld  the 
devotions  of  St.  Maria  in  Navicula,  so  named  from 
a  ship  carved  out  in  white  marble  standing  on  a 
pedestal  before  it,  supposed  to  be  the  vow  of  one 
escaped  from  shipwreck.  It  has  a  glorious  front 
to  the  street.  Adjoining  to  this  are  the  Horti 
Mathgei,  which  only  of  all  the  places  about  the  city 
I  omitted  visiting,  though  I  was  told  inferior  to 
no  garden  in  Rome  for  statues,  ancient  monuments, 
aviaries,  fountains,  groves,  and  especially  a  noble 
obelisk,  and  maintained  in  beauty  at  an  expense  of 
6000  crowns  yearly,  which,  if  not  expended  to  keep 
up  its  beauty,  forfeits  the  possession  of  a  greater 
revenue  to  another  family :  so  curious  are  they  in 
their  villas  and  places  of  pleasure,  even  to  excess. 

The  next  day,  we  went  to  the  once  famous 
Circus  Caracalla,  in  the  midst  of  which  there  now 
lay  prostrate  one  of  the  most  stately  and  ancient 
obelisks,  full  of  Egyptian  hieroglyphics.  It  was 
broken  into  four  pieces,  when  overthrown  by  the 
barbarians,  and  would  have  been  purchased  and 
transported  into  England  by  the  magnificent 
Thomas  Earl  of  Arundel,  could  it  have  been  well 
removed  to   the  sea.     This  is  since  set  together 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  245 


and  placed  on  the  stupendous  artificial  rock  made 
by  Innocent  X.,  and  serving  for  a  fountain  in 
Piazza  Navona,  the  work  of  Bernini,  the  Pope's 
architect.  Near  this  is  the  sepulchre  of  Metellus, 
of  massy  stone,  pretty  entire,  now  called  Capo  di 
Bove.  Hence,  to  a  small  oratory,  named  JDoviine, 
quo  vadis ;  where  the  tradition  is,  that  our  Blessed 
Saviour  met  St.  Peter  as  he  fled,  and  turned  him 
back  again. 

St.  Sebastian  s  was  the  next,  a  mean  structure 
(the  facciata  excepted),  but  is  venerable,  especially 
for  the  relics  and  grots,  in  which  lie  the  ashes  of 
many  holy  men.  Here  is  kept  the  pontifical  chair 
sprinkled  with  the  blood  of  Pope  Stephen,  to 
which  great  devotion  is  paid ;  also  a  well  full  of 
martyrs'  bones,  and  the  sepulchre  of  St.  Sebastian, 
with  one  of  the  arrows  (used  in  shooting  him). 
These  are  preserved  by  the  Fulgentine  Monks, 
who  have  here  their  monastery,  and  who  led  us 
down  into  a  grotto  which  they  affirmed  went 
divers  furlongs  under  ground  ;  the  sides,  or  walls 
which  we  passed  were  filled  with  bones  and  dead 
bodies,  laid  (as  it  were)  on  shelves,  whereof  some 
were  shut  up  with  broad  stones,  and  now  and  then 
a  cross,  or  a  palm,  cut  in  them.  At  the  end  of 
some  of  these  subterranean  passages,  were  square 
rooms  with  altars  in  them,  said  to  have  been  the 
receptacles  of  primitive  Christians,  in  the  times  of 
persecution,  nor  seems  it  improbable. 

11th  February,  I  was  invited,  after  dinner,  to 
the  academy  of  the  Humorists,^  kept  in  a  spacious 
hall  belonging  to  Signor  JNIancini,  where  the  wits 
of  the  towns  meet  on  certain  days  to  recite  poems, 
and  debate  on  several  subjects.  The  first  that 
speaks  is  called  the  Lord,  and  stands  in  an  eminent 
place,  and  then  the  rest  of  the  A'irtuosi  recite  in 

^  [Evelyn  refers  to  the  Humoristi   in   a  letter   to   Pepys  of 
12th  August,  1689.] 


246  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

order.  By  these  ingenious  exercises,  besides  the 
learned  discourses,  is  the  purity  of  the  Italian 
tongue  daily  improved.  The  room  is  hung  round 
with  devices,  or  emblems,  with  mottoes  under 
them.  There  are  several  other  Academies  of  this 
nature,  bearing  like  fantastical  titles.^  In  this  of 
the  Humorists  is  the  picture  of  Guarini,  the  famous 
author  of  the  Pastor  Fido,  once  of  this  society.^ 
The  chief  part  of  the  day  we  spent  in  hearing  the 
academic  exercises. 

ISth  February,  We  walked  to  St.  Nicholas  in 
Carcere  ;  it  has  a  fair  front,  and  within  are  parts  of 
the  bodies  of  St.  Mark  and  INIarcellino  ;  on  the 
Tribuna  is  a  painting  of  Gentileschi,  and  the  altar 
of  Caval ;  Bagiioni,  with  some  other  rare  paintings. 
Coming  round  from  hence,  we  passed  by  the  Circus 
Flaminius,  formerly  very  large,  now  totally  in  ruins. 
In  the  afternoon,  we  visited  the  EngUsh  Jesuits, 
with  whose  Superior,  P.  Stafford,  I  was  well 
acquainted ;  who  received  us  courteously.^  They 
call  their  church  and  college  S.  Tommaso  degli 
Inglesi,  and  is  a  seminary.  Amongst  other  trifles, 
they  show  the  relics  of  Becket,  their  reputed  martyr. 
Of  paintings  there  is  one  of  Durante,  and  many 
representing  the  sufferings  of  several  of  their  society 
executed  in  England,  especially  E.  Campion.* 

In  the  Hospital  of  the  Pelerini  della  S.  Trinita, 
I  had  seen  the  feet  of  many  pilgrims  washed  by 
Princes,  Cardinals,  and  noble  Romans,^  and  served 

1  [I.e.  Della  Criisca,  Svogliati  (Florence),  Incogniti  (Venice), 
Elevati  (Ferrara),  Otiosi  (Bologna),  Recoverati  and  Inflammati 
(Padua),  Olympici  (Vicenza),  Nascosti  (Milan),  Insensati,  Abban- 
donati,  Arcadi,  Confusi,  etc.  Milton  attended  the  meetings  of 
the  Svogliati  in  1638  and  l639,  and  wrote  some  Italian  poems 
for  them  (Pattison's  Milton,  1879,  pp.  So,  S9).] 

-  [John  Baptist  Guarini,  1537-l6l2.] 

3   'See  ante,  p.  203.] 
;      *    Edmund  Campion,  executed  December,  1581.] 

5    Wilkie  made  this  ceremony  the  subject  of  two  pictures, — one 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  247 

at  table,  as  the  ladies  and  noble  women  did  to 
other  poor  creatures  in  another  room.  It  was  told 
us  that  no  less  than  444,000  men  had  been  thus 
treated  in  the  Jubilee  of  1600,  and  25,500  women, 
as  appears  by  the  register,  which  brings  store  of 
money. 

Returning  homeward,  I  saw  the  Palace  of 
Cardinal  Spada,^  where  is  a  most  magnificent  hall 
painted  by  Daniel  de  Volterra  and  Giulio  Piacentino, 
who  made  the  fret  in  the  little  Court ;  but  the  rare 
perspectives  are  of  Bolognesi.  Near  this  is  the 
Mont  Pieta,  instituted  as  a  bank  for  the  poor, 
who,  if  the  sum  be  not  great,  may  have  money 
upon  pawns.  To  this  joins  St.  Martino,  to  which 
belongs  a  Schola,  or  Corporation,  that  do  many 
works  of  charity.  Hence,  we  came  through  Campo 
de'  Fiori,  or  herb-market,  in  the  midst  of  which  is  a 
fountain  casting  out  water  of  a  dolphin,  in  copper ; 
and  in  this  piazza  is  common  execution  done. 

19th  February,  I  went,  this  afternoon,  to  visit 
my  Lord  John  Somerset,  brother  to  the  Marquis 
of  Worcester,^  who  had  his  apartment  in  Palazzo 
della  Cancellaria,  belonging  to  Cardinal  Francesco 
Barberini,  as  Vice-chancellor  of  the  Church  of 
Rome,  and  Protector  of  the  English.^  The  building 
is  of  the  famous  architect,  Bramante,  of  incrusted 
marble,  with  four  ranks  of  noble  lights ;  the 
principal  entrance  is  of  Fontana's  design,  and  all 
marble ;  the  portico  within  sustained  by  massy 
columns ;  on  the  second  peristyle  above,  the 
chambers  are  rarely  painted  by  Salviati  and  Vasari; 
and  so  ample  is  this  Palace,  that  six  princes  with 
their  families  have  been  received  in  it  at  one  time, 
without  incommodino'  each  other. 


of  which  was  entitled  "  Cardinals,  Priests,  and  Roman  Citizens 
washing  the  Pilgrims'  Feet."] 

'  low  the  Court  of  Cassation.] 

[See  ante,  p.  154.]  3  j^ggg  ^^^/^^  p    i86.] 


1  [N( 

2  [Se 


248  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

20th  February,  I  went  as  was  my  usual  custom 
and  spent  an  afternoon  in  Piazza  Navona,  as  well  as 
to  see  what  antiquities  I  could  purchase  among  the 
people  who  hold  market  there  for  medals,  pictures, 
and  such  curiosities,  as  to  hear  the  mountebanks 
prate,  and  distribute  their  medicines.  This  was 
formerly  the  Circus  Agonalis,  dedicated  to  sports 
and  pastimes,  and  is  now  the  greatest  market  of  the 
city,  having  three  most  noble  fountains,  and  the 
stately  palaces  of  the  Pamfilii,  S.  Giacomo  degli 
Spagnuoli  belonging  to  that  nation,  to  which  add 
two  convents  for  Friars  and  Nuns,  all  Spanish. 
In  this  Church  was  erected  a  most  stately  catafalco, 
or  Capella  ardente,  for  the  death  of  the  Queen  of 
Spain  ;  the  church  was  hung  with  black,  and  here 
I  heard  a  Spanish  sermon,  or  funebral  oration,  and 
observed  the  statues,  devices,  and  impresses  hung 
about  the  walls,  the  church  and  pyramid  stuck 
with  thousands  of  lights  and  tapers,  which  made  a 
glorious  show.  The  statue  of  St.  James  is  by 
Sansovino ;  there  are  also  some  good  pictures  of 
Caracci.  The  facciata,  too,  is  fair.  Returning 
home,  I  passed  by  the  stumps  of  old  Pasquin,  at 
the  corner  of  a  street,  called  Strada  Pontificia  ;  here 
they  still  paste  up  their  drolling  lampoons  and 
scurrilous  papers.^  This  had  formerly  been  one  of 
the  best  statues  for  workmanship  and  art  in  all  the 
city,  as  the  remaining  bust  does  still  show. 

21^^.  I  walked  in  the  morning  up  the  hill  towards 
tha  Capuchins,  where  was  then  Cardinal  Unufrio 
(brother  to  the  late  Pope  Urban  VIII.)  of  the 
same  order.  He  built  them  a  pretty  church,  full 
of  rare  pictures,  and  there  lies  the  body  of  St. 
Felix,  that  they  say  still  does  miracles.     The  piece 

^  [The  pasquinata  were  pasted  upon  the  pedestal  of  a  statue 
of  a  gladiator  which  stood  opposite  the  shop  of  a  sixteenth- 
century  cobbler  named  Pasquin,  who  was  credited  with  the 
earlier  ones.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  249 


at  the  great  altar  is  by  Lanfranco.  It  is  a  lofty 
edifice,  with  a  beautiful  avenue  of  trees,  and  in  a 
good  air.  After  dinner,  passing  along  the  Strada 
del  Corso,  I  observed  the  column  of  Antoninus, 
passing  under  Arco  Portugallo,  which  is  but  a 
relic,  heretofore  erected  in  honour  of  Domitian, 
called  now  Portugallo,  from  a  Cardinal  living  near 
it.  A  little  further  on  the  right  hand  stands  the 
column  in  a  small  piazza,  heretofore  set  up  in 
honour  of  M.  Aurelius  Antoninus,  comprehending 
in  a  hasso-iiUevo  of  Avhite  marble  his  hostile  acts 
against  the  Parthians,  Armenians,  Germans,  etc.  ; 
but  it  is  now  somewhat  decayed.  On  the  summit 
has  been  placed  the  image  of  St.  Paul,  of  gilded 
copper.  The  pillar  is  said  to  be  161  feet  high, 
ascended  by  207  steps,  receiving  light  by  fifty-six 
apertures,  without  defacing  the  sculpture. 

At  a  little  distance,  are  the  relics  of  the 
Emperor's  Palace,  the  heads  of  whose  pillars  show 
them  to  have  been  Corinthian. 

Turning  a  little  down,  we  came  to  another 
piazza,  in  which  stands  a  sumptuous  vase  of 
porphyry,  and  a  fair  fountain ;  but  the  grace  of 
this  market,  and  indeed  the  admiration  of  the 
whole  world,  is  the  Pantheon,  now  called  S.  Maria 
della  Rotonda,  formerly  sacred  to  all  the  Gods, 
and  still  remaining  the  most  entire  antiquity  of  the 
city.  It  w^as  built  by  Marcus  Agrippa,  as  testifies 
the  architrave  of  the  portico,  sustained  by  thirteen 
pillars  of  Theban  marble,  six  feet  thick,  and  fifty- 
three  in  height,  of  one  entire  stone.  In  this  porch 
is  an  old  inscription. 

Entering  the  church,  we  admire  the  fabric, 
wholly  covered  with  one  cupola,  seemingly  sus- 
pended in  the  air,  and  receiving  light  by  a  hole  in 
the  middle  only.  The  structure  is  near  as  high  as 
broad,  viz.  144  feet,  not  counting  the  thickness  of 
the  w^alls,  which  is  twenty-two  more  to  the  top,  all 


250  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

of  white  marble  ;  and,  till  Urban  VIII.  converted 
part  of  the  metal  into  ordnance  of  war  against  the 
Duke  of  Parma,  and  part  to  make  the  high  altar  in 
St.  Peter's,  it  was  all  over  covered  with  Corinthian 
brass,  ascending  by  forty  degrees  within  the  roof, 
or  convex,  of  the  cupola,  richly  carved  in  octagons 
in  the  stone.  There  are  niches  in  the  walls,  in 
which  stood  heretofore  the  statues  of  Jupiter  and 
the  other  Gods  and  Goddesses ;  for  here  was  that 
Venus  which  had  hung  in  her  ear  the  other  union  ^ 
that  Cleopatra  was  about  to  dissolve  and  drink  up, 
as  she  had  done  its  fellow.  There  are  several  of 
these  niches,  one  above  another,  for  the  celestial, 
terrestrial,  and  subterranean  deities ;  but  the  place 
is  now  converted  into  a  church  dedicated  to  the 
Blessed  Virgin  and  all  the  Saints.  The  pavement 
is  excellent,  and  the  vast  folding-gates,  of  Corinthian 
brass.  In  a  word,  it  is  of  all  the  Roman  antiquities 
the  most  worthy  of  notice.  There  lie  interred  in 
this  Temple  the  famous  Raphael  di  Urbino,  Pierino 
del  Vaga,  T.  Zuccaro,  and  other  painters. 

Returning  home,  we  pass  by  Cardinal  Cajetan's 
Palace,  a  noble  piece  of  architecture  of  Vincenzo 
Ammanati,  which  is  the  grace  of  the  whole 
Corso. 

22nd  Febr^uary,  I  went  to  Trinita  de'  Monte, 
a  monastery  of  French,  a  noble  church  built  by 
Louis  XI.  and  Charles  VIII.,  the  chapels  well 
painted,  especially  that  by  Zaccara  [Daniele  ?]  da 
Volterra,  and  the  cloister  with  the  miracles  of  their 
St.  Francis  de  Paolo,  and  the  heads  of  the  French 
Kings.  In  the  i)ergola  above,  the  walls  are  wrought 
with  excellent  perspective,  especially  the  St.  John  ; 
there  are  the  Babylonish  dials,  invented  by  Kircher, 
the  Jesuit.^     This  convent,  so  eminently  situated 

1  [A  pearl  of  the  finest  kind  (Lat.  unio\  Hamlet,  Act  V.  Sc.  ii, 
(Dyce's  Shakespeare  Glossary,  by  Littledale,  1902,  p.  525).^ 

2  [See  ante,  p.  l62.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  251 


on  Mons  Pincius,  has  the  entire  prospect  of 
Campus  Martins,  and  has  a  fair  garden  which 
joins  to  the  Palazzo  di  Medici. 

2Srd  February.  I  went  to  hear  a  sermon  at 
S.  Giacomo  degli  IncurabiH,  a  fair  church  built 
by  F.  da  Volterra,  of  good  architecture,  and  so  is 
the  hospital,  where  only  desperate  patients  are 
brought.  I  passed  the  evening  at  S.  Maria  del 
Popolo,  heretofore  Nero's  sepulchre,  where  his 
ashes  lay  many  years  in  a  marble  chest.  To  this 
church  joins  the  monastery  of  St.  Augustine,  which 
has  pretty  gardens  on  Mons  Pincius,  and  in  the 
church  is  the  miraculous  shrine  of  the  Madonna 
which  Pope  Paul  III.  brought  barefooted  to  the 
place,  supplicating  for  a  victory  over  the  Turks  in 
1464.  In  a  chapel  of  the  Chigi,  are  some  rare 
paintings  of  Raphael,  and  noble  sculptures.  Those 
two  in  the  choir  are  by  Sansovino,  and  in  the 
chapel  de  Cerasii,  a  piece  of  Caravaggio.  Here  lie 
buried  many  great  scholars  and  artists,  of  which 
I  took  notice  of  this  inscription  : 

HospeSj  disce  novum  mortis  genus  ;  improba  felis, 
Dum  trahitur,  digitum  mordet,  et  intereo. 

Opposite  to  the  facciata  of  the  church  is  a  superb 
obelisk  full  of  hieroglyphics,  the  same  that  Senne- 
sertus.  King  of  Egypt,  dedicated  to  the  Sun ; 
brought  to  Rome  by  Augustus,  erected  in  the 
Circus  Maximus,  and  since  placed  here  by  Pope 
Sixtus  V.^  It  is  eighty -eight  feet  high,  of  one 
entire  stone,  and  placed  with  great  art  and  engines 
by  the  famous  Domenico  Fontana. 

Hence,  turning  on  the  right  out  of  the  Porta 
del  Popolo,  we  came  to  Justinian's  gardens,  near 
the  Muro  Torto,  so  prominently  built  as  threaten- 
ing every  moment  to  fall,  yet  standing  so  for  these 

1  [In  1589.] 


252  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

thousand  years.  Under  this  is  the  burying-place 
for  the  common  prostitutes,  where  they  are  put 
into  the  ground,  sans  ceremonie. 

24<th  Februainj,  We  walked  to  St.  Roche's  and 
Martine's  [SS.  Rocco  e  Martino]  near  the  brink 
of  the  Tiber,  a  large  hospital  for  both  sexes. 
Hence,  to  the  Mausoleum  Augusti,  betwixt  the 
Tiber  and  the  Via  Flaminia,  now  much  ruined, 
which  had  formerly  contended  for  its  sumptuous 
architecture.  It  was  intended  as  a  cemetery 
for  the  Roman  Emperors,  had  twelve  ports, 
and  was  covered  with  a  cupola  of  white  marble, 
environed  with  stately  trees  and  innumerable 
statues,  all  of  it  now  converted  into  a  garden. 
We  passed  the  afternoon  at  the  Sapienza,  a  very 
stately  building  full  of  good  marbles,  especially  the 
portico,  of  admirable  architecture.  These  are 
properly  the  University  Schools,  where  lectures 
are  read  on  Law,  Medicine,  and  Anatomy,  and 
students  perform  their  exercises. 

Hence,  we  walked  to  the  church  of  S.  Andrea 
della  Valle,  near  the  former  Theatre  of  Pompey, 
and  the  famous  Piccolomini,^  but  given  to  this 
church  and  the  Order,  who  are  Theatins.  The 
Barberini  have  in  this  place  a  chapel,  of  curious 
incrusted  marbles  of  several  sorts,  and  rare  paintings. 
Under  it  is  the  place  where  St.  Sebastian  is  said  to 
have  been  beaten  with  rods  before  he  was  shot  with 
darts.  The  cupola  is  painted  by  Lanfranco,  an 
inestimable  work,^  and  the  whole  fabric  and  monas- 
tery adjoining  are  admirable. 

2otlL  I  was  invited  by  a  Dominican  Friar, 
whom  we  usually  heard  preach  to  a  number  of 
Jews,  to  be  godfather  to  a  converted   Turk  and 

^  [.Eneas  Silvius  Piccolomini  (Pius  II.),  1405-64'.] 

-    Giovanni  Lanfranco,  1581-1648.     This  cupola,  which  was 

to   have  been   painted  by   Domenichino,  is  one  of  Lanfranco's 

best  works.] 


^-^ 


-^5-1:;  ^^^ 


-i? 


T^. 


::^ 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  253 


Jew.  The  ceremony  was  performed  in  the  Church 
of  Santa  Maria  sopra  Minerva,  near  the  Capitol. 
They  were  clad  in  white ;  then  exorcised  at  their 
entering  the  church  with  abundance  of  ceremonies, 
and,  when  led  into  the  choir,  were  baptized  by  a 
Bishop,  in  i^ontificalibus.  The  Turk  lived  after- 
wards in  Rome,  sold  hot  waters,  and  would  bring 
us  presents  when  he  met  us,  kneeling  and  kissing 
the  hems  of  our  cloaks  ;  but  the  Jew  was  believed 
to  be  a  counterfeit.^  This  church,  situated  on  a 
spacious  rising,  was  formerly  consecrated  to  Minerva. 
It  was  well  built  and  richly  adorned,  and  the  body 
of  St.  Catherine  di  Siena  lies  buried  here.^  The 
paintings  of  the  chapel  are  by  Marcello  Venuti ; 
the  Madonna  over  the  altar  is  by  Giovanni  di 
Fiesole,  called  the  Angelic  Painter,  who  was  of  the 
Order  of  these  Monks.  There  are  many  charities 
dealt  publicly  here,  especially  at  the  procession  on 
the  Annunciation,  when  I  saw  his  Holiness,  with 
all  the  Cardinals,  Prelates,  etc.,  in  pontificalibus ; 
dowries  being  given  to  300  poor  girls  all  clad  in 
white. "^  The  Pope  had  his  tiara  on  his  head,  and 
was  carried  on  men's  shoulders  in  an  open  arm- 
chair, blessing  the  people  as  he  passed.  The 
statue  of  Christ,  at  the  Columna,  is  esteemed  one 
of  the  masterpieces  of  M.  Angelo  ;  innumerable 
are  the  paintings  by  the  best  artists,  and  the  organ 
is  accounted  one  of  the  sweetest  in  Rome.  Cardinal 
Bembo  is  interred  here.  We  returned  by  St. 
Mark's,  a  stately  church,  with  an  excellent  pave- 
ment, and  a  fine  piece  by  Perugino,  of  the  Two 
Martyrs.  Adjoining  to  this  is  a  noble  palace  built 
by  the  famous  Bramante. 

2Qth  February,  Ascending  the  hill,  we  came 
to  the  Forum  Trajanum,  where  his  column  stands 
yet  entire,   wrought   with   admirable   basso -rilievo 

1  [See  ante,  p.  203.]  2  [See  ante,  p.  147.] 

3  [See  post,  p.  257.] 


^54  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

recording  the  Dacian  war,  the  figures  at  the  upper 
part  appearing  of  the  same  proportion  with  those 
below.  It  is  ascended  by  192  steps,  enhghtened 
with  44  apertures,  or  windows,  artificially  disposed  ; 
in  height  from  the  pedestal  140  feet. 

It  had  once  the  ashes  of  Trajan  and  his  statue, 
where  now  stands  St.  Peter's  of  gilt  brass,  erected 
by  Pope  Sixtus  V.  The  sculpture  of  this 
stupendous  pillar  is  thought  to  be  the  work  of 
Apollodorus ;  but  what  is  very  observable  is,  the 
descent  to  the  plinth  of  the  pedestal,  showing  how 
this  ancient  city  lies  now  buried  in  her  ruins ;  this 
monument  being  at  first  set  up  on  a  rising  ground. 
After  dinner,  we  took  the  air  in  Cardinal  Benti- 
voglio's  delicious  gardens,  now  but  newly  deceased.^ 
He  had  a  fair  palace  built  by  several  good  masters 
on  part  of  the  ruins  of  Constantine's  Baths ;  well 
adorned  with  columns  and  paintings,  especially 
those  of  Guido  Reni. 

21th  February,  In  the  morning,  Mr.  Henshaw 
and  myself  walked  to  the  Trophies  of  Marius, 
erected  in  honour  of  his  victory  over  the  Cimbrians, 
but  these  now  taken  out  of  their  niches  are  placed 
on  the  balusters  of  the  Capitol,  so  that  their  ancient 
station  is  now  a  ruin.  Keeping  on  our  way,  we 
<jame  to  St.  Croce  of  Jerusalem,  built  by  Constan- 
tine  over  the  demolition  of  the  Temple  of  V^enus 
and  Cupid,  which  he  threw  down  ;  and  it  was  here 
they  report  he  deposited  the  wood  of  the  true 
Cross  found  by  his  mother,  Helena  ;  in  honour 
whereof  this  church  was  built,  and  in  memory  of 
his  victory  over  Maxentius  when  that  holy  sign 
appeared  to  him.  The  edifice  without  is  Gothic, 
but  very  glorious  within,  especially  the  roof,  and 
one   tribuna    (gallery)    well   painted.        Here  is    a 

1  [Cardinal  Guido  Bentivoglio,  1579-1^4^-  He  wrote  the 
Histoi-y  of  the  Wars  of  Flanders,  englished  in  l678  by  Henry 
Earl  of  Monmouth  (see  post,  p.  284).] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  255 


chapel  dedicated  to  St.  Helena,  the  floor  whereof 
is  of  earth  brought  from  Jerusalem  ;  the  walls  are 
of  fair  mosaic,  in  which  they  suffer  no  women  to 
enter,  save  once  a  year.  Under  the  high  altar  of 
the  Church  is  buried  St.  Anastasius,  in  Lydian 
marble,  and  Benedict  VII.  ;  and  they  show  a 
number  of  relics,  exposed  at  our  request ;  with  a 
phial  of  our  blessed  Saviour's  blood  ;  two  thorns  of 
his  crown  ;  three  chips  of  the  real  cross  ;  one  of  the 
nails,  wanting  a  point ;  St.  Thomas's  doubting- 
finger  ;  and  a  fragment  of  the  title  (put  on  the 
cross),  being  part  of  a  thin  board ;  some  of  Judas's 
pieces  of  silver ;  and  many  more,  if  one  had  faith 
to  believe  it.  To  this  venerable  church  joins  a 
JNIonastery,  the  gardens  taking  up  the  space  of  an 
ancient  amphitheatre. 

Hence,  we  passed  beyond  the  walls  out  at  the 
Port  of  St.  Laurence,  to  that  Saint's  church,  and 
where  his  ashes  are  enshrined.  This  was  also  built 
by  the  same  great  Constantine,  famous  for  the 
Coronation  of  Pietro  Altissiodorensis,  Emperor  of 
Constantinople,  by  Honorius  the  Second.  It  is 
said  the  corpse  of  St.  Stephen,  the  proto-martyr, 
was  deposited  here  by  that  of  St.  Sebastian,  which 
it  had  no  sooner  touched,  but  Sebastian  gave  it 
place  of  its  own  accord.  The  Church  has  no  less 
than  seven  privileged  altars,  and  excellent  pictures. 
About  the  walls  are  painted  this  martyr's  sufferings  ; 
and,  when  they  built  them,  the  bones  of  divers 
saints  were  translated  to  other  churches.  The 
front  is  Gothic.  In  our  return,  we  saw  a  small 
ruin  of  an  aqueduct  built  by  Quintus  JNIarcius,  the 
praetor ;  and  so  passed  through  that  incomparable 
straight  street  leading  to  Santa  Maria  Maggiore,  to 
our  lodging,  sufficiently  tired. 

We  were  taken  up  next  morning  in  seeing  the 
impertinences  of  the  Carnival,  when  all  the  world 
are  as  mad  at  Rome  as  at  other  places ;  but  the 


256  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

most  remarkable  were  the  three  races  of  the  Barbary 
horses,  that  run  in  the  Strada  del  Corso  without 
riders,  only  having  spurs  so  placed  on  their  backs, 
and  hanging  down  by  their  sides,  as  by  their  motion 
to  stimulate  them  :  then  of  mares,  then  of  asses, 
of  buffaloes,  naked  men,  old  and  young,  and  boys, 
and  abundance  of  idle  ridiculous  pastime.  One 
thing  'is  remarkable,  their  acting  comedies  on  a 
stage  placed  on  a  cart,  or  i^lausti^um,  where  the 
scene,  or  tiring-place,  is  made  of  boughs  in  a  rural 
manner,  which  they  drive  from  street  to  street  with 
a  yoke  or  two  of  oxen,  after  the  ancient  guise. 
The  streets  swarm  with  prostitutes,  buffoons,  and 
all  manner  of  rabble. 

1^^  March,  At  the  Greek  Church,  we  saw  the 
Eastern  ceremonies  performed  by  a  Bishop,  etc.,  in 
that  tongue.  Here  the  unfortunate  Duke^  and 
Duchess  of  Bouillon  received  their  ashes,  it  being 
the  first  day  of  Lent.  There  was  now  as  much 
trudging  up  and  down  of  devotees,  as  the  day 
before  of  licentious  people ;  all  saints  alike  to 
appearance. 

The  gardens  of  Justinian,  which  we  next  visited, 
are  very  full  of  statues  and  antiquities,  especially 
urns  ;  amongst  which  is  that  of  Minutius  Felix ;  a 
terminus  that  formerly  stood  in  the  Appian  way, 
and  a  huge  coloss  of  the  Emperor  Justinian. 
There  is  a  delicate  aviary  on  the  hill ;  the  whole 
gardens  furnished  with  rare  collections,  fresh,  shady, 
and  adorned  with  noble  fountains.  Continuing  our 
walk  a  mile  farther,  we  came  to  Pons  IMilvius,  now 
Mela,  where  Constantine  overthrew  ]\Iaxentius,  and 
saw  the  miraculous  sign  of  the  cross.  In  hoc  sigiio 
vinces.  It  was  a  sweet  morning,  and  the  bushes 
were  full  of  nightingales.  Hence,  to  Aqua  Claudia 
again,  an  aqueduct  finished  by  that  Emperor  at  the 

1  [Frederic-Maurice  de  la  Tour  d'Auvergne,  Due  de  Bouillon, 
1605-52.     He  abjured  Calvinism  at  Rome  in  164.4.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  257 


expense  of  eight  millions.  In  the  afternoon,  to 
Farnese's  gardens,  near  the  Campo  Vaccino  ;  and 
upon  the  Palatine  Mount  to  survey  the  ruins  of 
Juno's  Temple,  in  the  Piscina,  a  piazza  so  called 
near  the  famous  bridge  built  by  Antoninus  Pius, 
and  re-edified  by  Pope  Sixtus  IV. 

The  rest  of  this  week,  we  went  to  the  Vatican, 
to  hear  the  sermons,  at  St.  Peter's,  of  the  most 
famous  preachers,  who  discourse  on  the  same 
subjects  and  text  yearly,  full  of  Italian  eloquence 
and  action.  On  our  Lady-day,  25th  March,  we 
saw  the  Pope  and  Cardinals  ride  in  pomp  to  the 
Minerva,  the  great  guns  of  the  Castle  of  St.  Angelo 
being  fired,  when  he  gives  portions  to  500  zitelle 
(young  women), ^  who  kiss  his  feet  in  procession, 
some  destined  to  marry,  some  to  be  nuns ; — the 
scholars  of  the  college  celebrating  the  blessed 
Virgin  with  their  compositions.  The  next  day,  his 
Holiness  was  busied  in  blessing  golden  roses,  to  be 
sent  to  several  great  Princes  ;  the  Procurator  of 
the  Carmelites  preaching  on  our  Saviour's  feeding 
the  multitude  with  five  loaves,  the  ceremony  ends. 
The  sacrament  being  this  day  exposed,  and  the 
relics  of  the  Holy  Cross,  the  concourse  about  the 
streets  is  extraordinary.  On  Palm  Sunday,  there 
was  a  great  procession,  after  a  papal  mass. 

nth  April  St.  Veronica's  handkerchief  (with 
the  impression  of  our  Saviour's  face)  was  exposed, 
and  the  next  day  the  spear,  with  a  world  of 
ceremony.  On  Holy  Thursday,  the  Pope  said 
mass,  and  afterwards  carried  the  Host  in  procession 
about  the  chapel,  with  an  infinity  of  tapers.  This 
finished,  his  Holiness  was  carried  in  his  open  chair 
on  men's  shoulders  to  the  place  where,  reading  the 
Bull  In  Ccend  Domini,  he  both  curses  and  blesses 
all  in  a  breath  ;  then  the  guns  are  again  fired. 
Hence,  he  went  to  the  Ducal  hall  of  the  Vatican, 

1  [See  ante,  p.  253.] 
VOL.  I  S 


258  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

where  he  washed  the  feet  of  twelve  poor  men,  with 
almost  the  same  ceremony  as  it  is  done  at  White- 
hall ;^  they  have  clothes,  a  dinner,  and  alms,  which 
he  gives  with  his  own  hands,  and  serves  at  their 
table  ;  they  have  also  gold  and  silver  medals,  but 
their  garments  are  of  white  woollen  long  robes,  as 
we  paint  the  Apostles.  The  same  ceremonies  are 
done  by  the  Conservators  and  other  officers  of 
state  at  St.  John  di  Laterano  ;  and  now  the  table 
on  which  they  say  our  blessed  Lord  celebrated 
his  last  supper  is  set  out,  and  the  heads  of  the 
Apostles.  In  every  famous  church  they  are  busy 
in  dressing  up  their  pageantries  to  represent 
the  Holy  Sepulchre,  of  which  we  went  to  visit 
divers. 

On  Good  Friday,  we  went  again  to  St.  Peter's, 
where  the  handkerchief,  lance,  and  cross  were  all 
exposed,  and  worshipped  together.  All  the  con- 
fession seats  were  filled  with  devout  people,  and  at 
night  was  a  procession  of  several  who  most  lament- 
ably whipped  themselves  till  the  blood  stained 
their  clothes,  for  some  had  shirts,  others  upon  the 
bare  back,  having  visors  and  masks  on  their  faces  ; 
at  every  three  or  four  steps  dashing  the  knotted 
and  ravelled  whip-cord  over  their  shoulders,  as 
hard  as  they  could  lay  it  on ;  whilst  some  of  the 
religious  orders  and  fraternities  sung  in  a  dismal 
tone,  the  lights  and  crosses  going  before,  making 
all  together  a  horrible  and  indeed  heathenish 
pomp. 

The  next  day,  there  was  much  ceremony  at  St. 
John  di  Laterano,  so  as  the  whole  week  was  spent 
in  running  from  church  to  church,  all  the  town  in 
busy  devotion,  great  silence,  and  unimaginable 
superstition. 

^  [By  the  monarch  on  Maundy  Thursday.  James  II.  was  the 
last  to  perform  this  to  its  full  extent.  It  was  afterwards  deputed 
to  the  Lord  High  Almoner,  and  is  now  entirely  given  up.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  259 

Easter-day,  I  was  awakened  by  the  guns  from 
St.  Angelo  ;  we  went  to  St.  Peter's,  where  the 
Pope  himself  celebrated  mass,  showed  the  relics 
before  named,  and  gave  a  public  Benediction. 

Monday,  we  went  to  hear  music  in  the  Chiesa 
Nuova :  and,  though  there  were  abundance  of 
ceremonies  at  the  other  great  churches,  and  great 
exposure  of  relics,  yet  being  wearied  with  sights 
of  this  nature,  and  the  season  of  the  year,  summer, 
at  Home  being  very  dangerous,  by  reason  of  the 
heats  minding  us  of  returning  northwards,  we  spent 
the  rest  of  our  time  in  visiting  such  places  as  we 
had  not  yet  sufficiently  seen.  Only  I  do  not 
forget  the  Pope's  benediction  of  the  Gorif alone,  or 
Standard,  and  giving  the  hallowed  palms  ;  and,  on 
May-day,  the  great  procession  of  the  University 
and  the  muleteers  at  St.  Anthony's,  and  their 
setting  up  a  foolish  May-pole  in  the  Capitol,  very 
ridiculous.  We  therefore  now  took  coach  a  little 
out  of  town,  to  visit  the  famous  Roma  Sotterranea, 
being  much  like  what  we  had  seen  at  St.  Sebas- 
tian's. Here,  in  a  corn-field,  guided  by  two  torches, 
we  crept  on  our  bellies  into  a  little  hole,  about 
twenty  paces,  which  delivered  us  into  a  large  entry 
that  led  us  into  several  streets,  or  alleys,  a  good 
depth  in  the  bowels  of  the  earth,  a  strange  and 
fearful  passage  for  divers  miles,  as  Bosio  has 
measured  and  described  them  in  his  book.^  We 
ever  and  anon  came  into  pretty  square  rooms,  that 
seemed  to  be  chapels  with  altars,  and  some  adorned 
with  very  ordinary  ancient  painting.  Many 
skeletons  and  bodies  are  placed  on  the  sides  one 
above  the  other  in  degrees  hke  shelves,  whereof 
some  are  shut  up  with  a  coarse  flat  stone,  having 
engraven  on  them  Pro  Christo,  or  a  cross  and 
palms,  which  are  supposed  to  have  been  martyrs. 
Here,  in  all  likelihood,  were  the  meetings  of  the 

1  Roma  Sotterranea  J  by  Antonio  Bosio,  folio,  Roma,  l632. 


260  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

Primitive  Christians  during  the  persecutions,  as 
Phny  the  younger  describes  them.  As  I  was 
prying  about,  I  found  a  glass  phial,  filled  (as  was 
conjectured)  with  dried  blood,  and  two  lachryma- 
tories. Many  of  the  bodies,  or  rather  bones  (for 
there  appeared  nothing  else)  lay  so  entire,  as  if 
placed  by  the  art  of  the  chirurgeon,  but  being  only 
touched  fell  all  to  dust.  Thus,  after  wandering 
two  or  three  miles  in  this  subterranean  meander, 
we  returned  almost  blind  when  we  came  into  the 
daylight,  and  even  choked  by  the  smoke  of  the 
torches.  It  is  said  that  a  French  bishop  and  his 
retinue  adventuring  too  far  in  these  dens,  their 
lights  going  out,  were  never  heard  of  more. 

We  were  entertained  at  night  with  an  English 
play  at  the  Jesuits',  where  we  before  had  dined  ;  ^ 
and  the  next  day  at  Prince  Galicano's,  who  him- 
self composed  the  music  to  a  magnificent  opera, 
where  were  present  Cardinal  Pamphilio,  the  Pope's 
nephew,  the  Governors  of  Rome,  the  cardinals, 
ambassadors,  ladies,  and  a  number  of  nobility  and 
strangers.  There  had  been  in  the  morning  a  joust 
and  tournament  of  several  young  gentlemen  on  a 
formal  defy,  to  which  we  had  been  invited  ;  the 
prizes  being  distributed  by  the  ladies,  after  the 
knight-errantry  way.  The  lancers  and  swordsmen 
running  at  tilt  against  the  barriers,  with  a  great 
deal  of  clatter,  but  without  any  bloodshed,  giving 
much  diversion  to  the  spectators,  and  was  new  to 
us  travellers. 

The  next  day,  Mr.  Henshaw  and  I  spent  the 
morning  in  attending  the  entrance  and  cavalcade 
of  Cardinal  Medici,  the  ambassador  from  the  Grand 
Duke  of  Florence,  by  the  Via  Flaminia.  After 
dinner,  we  went  again  to  the  Villa  Borghese,  about 
a  mile  without  the  city ;  ^  the  garden  is  rather  a 
park,   or  a  Paradise,   contrived  and  planted  with 

1  [See  antey  p.  203,]  -  [See  ante,  p.  176.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  261 

walks  and  shades  of  myrtles,  cypress,  and  other 
trees,  and  groves,  with  abundance  of  fountains, 
statues,  and  bassO'TiUevos,  and  several  pretty  mur- 
muring rivulets.  Here  they  had  hung  large  nets 
to  catch  woodcocks.  There  was  also  a  vivary, 
where,  amongst  other  exotic  fowls,  was  an  ostrich ; 
besides  a  most  capacious  aviary ;  and,  in  another 
inclosed  part,  a  herd  of  deer.  Before  the  Palace 
(which  might  become  the  court  of  a  great  prince) 
stands  a  noble  fountain,  of  white  marble  enriched 
with  statues.  The  outer  walls  of  the  house  are 
encrusted  with  excellent  antique  basso-iilievos,  of 
the  same  marble,  incornished  with  festoons  and 
niches  set  with  statues  from  the  foundation  to  the 
roof  A  stately  portico  joins  the  Palace,  full  of 
statues  and  columns  of  marble,  urns,  and  other 
curiosities  of  sculpture.  In  the  first  hall  were  the 
Twelve  Csesars,  of  antique  marble,^  and  the  whole 
apartments  furnished  with  pictures  of  the  most 
celebrated  masters,  and  two  rare  tables  of  porphyry, 
of  great  value.  But  of  this  already ;  for  I  often 
visited  this  delicious  place. 

This  night  were  glorious  fire-works  at  the  Palace 
of  Cardinal  Medici  before  the  gate,  and  lights  of 
several  colours  all  about  the  windows  through  the 
city,  which  they  contrive  by  setting  the  candles  in 
little  paper  lanterns  dyed  with  various  colours, 
placing  hundreds  of  them  from  story  to  story  ; 
which  renders  a  gallant  show. 

Mh  May,  Having  seen  the  entry  of  the 
ambassador  of  Lucca,  I  went  to  the  Vatican, 
where  by  favour  of  our  Cardinal  Protector,  Fran. 
Barberini,^  I  was  admitted  into  the  Consistory, 
heard  the  ambassador  make  his  oration  in  Latin  to 
the  Pope,  sitting  on  an  elevated  state,  or  throne, 
and  changing  two  pontifical  mitres ;  after  which, 
I  was  presented  to  kiss  his  toe,  that  is,  his 
1  [See  ante,  p.  177.]  ^  [See  ante,  p.  186.] 


262  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

embroidered  slipper,  two  Cardinals  holding  up 
his  vest  and  surplice ;  and  then,  being  sufficiently 
blessed  with  his  thumb  and  two  fingers  for  that 
day,  1  returned  home  to  dinner. 

We  went  again  to  see  the  medals  of  Signor 
Gotefredi,  which  are  absolutely  the  best  collection 
in  Rome. 

Passing  the  Ludovisi  Villa,  where  the  petrified 
human  figure  lies,  found  on  the  snowy  Alps  ;  I 
measured  the  hydra,  and  found  it  not  a  foot 
long ;  the  three  necks  and  fifteen  heads  seem  to 
be  but  patched  up  with  several  pieces  of  serpents' 
skins. 

5th  May,  We  took  coach,  and  went  fifteen  miles 
out  of  the  city  to  Frascati,  formerly  Tusculum, 
a  villa  of  Cardinal  Aldobrandini,  built  for  a 
country-house ;  but,  surpassing,  in  my  opinion, 
the  most  delicious  places  I  ever  beheld  for  its 
situation,  elegance,  plentiful  water,  groves,  ascents, 
and  prospects.  Just  behind  the  Palace  (which  is 
of  excellent  architecture)  in  the  centre  of  the 
enclosure,  rises  a  high  hill,  or  mountain,  all  over 
clad  with  tall  wood,  and  so  formed  by  nature,  as 
if  it  had  been  cut  out  by  art,  from  the  summit 
whereof  falls  a  cascade,  seeming  rather  a  great 
river  than  a  stream  precipitating  into  a  large 
theatre  of  water,  representing  an  exact  and  perfect 
rainbow,  when  the  sun  shines  out.  Under  this,  is 
made  an  artificial  grot,  wherein  are  curious  rocks, 
hydraulic  organs,  and  all  sorts  of  singing  birds, 
moving  and  chirping  by  force  of  the  water,  with 
several  other  pageants  and  surprising  inventions. 
In  the  centre  of  one  of  these  rooms,  rises  a  copper 
ball  that  continually  dances  about  three  feet  above 
the  pavement,  by  virtue  of  a  wind  conveyed 
secretly  to  a  hole  beneath  it ;  with  many  other 
devices  to  wet  the  unwary  spectators,  so  that  one 
can  hardly  step  without  wetting  to  the  skin.     In 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  263 

one  of  these  theatres  of  water,  is  an  Atlas  spouting 
up  the  stream  to  a  very  great  height ;  and  another 
monster  makes  a  terrible  roaring  with  a  horn  ;  but, 
above  all,  the  representation  of  a  storm  is  most 
natural,  with  such  fury  of  rain,  wind,  and  thunder, 
as  one  would  imagine  oneself  in  some  extreme 
tempest.  The  garden  has  excellent  walks  and 
shady  groves,  abundance  of  rare  fruit,  oranges, 
lemons,  etc.,  and  the  goodly  prospect  of  Rome, 
above  all  description,  so  as  I  do  not  wonder  that 
Cicero  and  others  have  celebrated  this  place  with 
such  encomiums.  The  Palace  is  indeed  built  more 
like  a  cabinet  than  anything  composed  of  stone 
and  mortar ;  it  has  in  the  middle  a  hall  furnished 
with  excellent  marbles  and  rare  pictures,  especially 
those  of  Gioseppino  d'  Arpino  ;  the  movables  are 
princely  and  rich.  This  was  the  last  piece  of 
architecture  finished  by  Giacomo  della  Porta,  who 
built  it  for  Pietro,  Cardinal  Aldobrandini,  in  the 
time  of  Clement  VIII.^ 

We  went  hence  to  another  house  and  garden 
not  far  distant,  on  the  side  of  a  hill  called 
Mondragone,  finished  by  Cardhial  Scipio  Borghese, 
an  ample  and  kingly  edifice.  It  has  a  very  long 
gallery,  and  at  the  end  a  theatre  for  pastimes, 
spacious  courts,  rare  grots,  vineyards,  olive- 
grounds,  groves,  and  solitudes.  The  air  is  so  fresh 
and  sweet,  as  few  parts  of  Italy  exceed  it ;  nor  is 
it  inferior  to  any  palace  in  the  city  itself  for 
statues,  pictures,  and  furniture ;  but,  it  growing 
late,  we  could  not  take  such  particular  notice  of 
these  things  as  they  deserved. 

Qtli  May.  We  rested  ourselves  ;  and  next  day, 
in  a  coach,  took  our  last  farewell  of  visiting  the 
circumjacent  places,   going  to   Tivoli,   or  the  old 

^  Cardinal  Hippolito  Aldobrandini  was  elected  Pope  in 
January,  1592,  by  the  name  of  Clement  VIII.,  and  died  in 
March,  l605. 


264  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


Tiburtum.  At  about  six  miles  from  Rome,  we 
pass  the  Teverone,  a  bridge  built  by  Mammaea, 
the  mother  of  Severus,  and  so  by  divers  ancient 
sepulchres,  amongst  others  that  of  Valerius  Volusi ; 
and  near  it  past  the  stinking  sulphureous  river  over 
the  Ponte  Lucano,  where  we  found  a  heap,  or 
turret,  full  of  inscriptions,  now  called  the  Tomb  of 
Plautius.  Arrived  at  Tivoli,  we  went  first  to  see 
the  Palace  d'Este,  erected  on  a  plain,  but  where 
was  formerly  an  hill.  The  Palace  is  very  ample 
and  stately.  In  the  garden,  on  the  right  hand,  are 
sixteen  vast  conchas  of  marble,  jetting  out  waters  ; 
in  the  midst  of  these  stands  a  Janus  quadrifrons, 
that  cast  forth  four  girandolas,  called  from  the 
resemblance  (to  a  particular  exhibition  in  fire- works 
so  named)  the  Fontana  di  Speccho  (looking-glass). 
Near  this  is  a  place  for  tilting.  Before  the  ascent 
of  the  Palace  is  the  famous  fountain  of  Leda,  and 
not  far  from  that,  four  sweet  and  delicious  gardens. 
Descending  thence  are  two  pyramids  of  water,  and 
in  a  grove  of  trees  near  it  the  fountains  of  Tethys, 
Esculapius,  Arethusa,  Pandora,  Pomona,  and  Flora; 
then  the  prancing  Pegasus,  Bacchus,  the  Grot  of 
Venus,  the  two  colosses  of  Melicerta  and  Sibylla 
Tiburtina,  all  of  exquisite  marble,  copper,  and 
other  suitable  adornments.  The  Cupids  pouring 
out  water  are  especially  most  rare,  and  the 
urns  on  which  are  placed  the  ten  nymphs.  The 
grots  are  richly  paved  with  pietra-commessa,  shells, 
coral,  etc. 

Towards  Roma  Triumphans,  leads  a  long  and 
spacious  walk,  fidl  of  fountains,  under  which  is 
historised  the  whole  Ovidian  Metamorphosis,  in 
rarely  sculptured  mezzo -rilievo.  At  the  end  of 
this,  next  the  wall,  is  the  city  of  Rome  as  it  was 
in  its  beauty,  of  small  models,  representing  that 
city,  with  its  amphitheatres  ;  naumachi,  thermce^ 
temples,    arches,    aqueducts,    streets,    and    other 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  265 


magnificences,  with  a  little  stream  running  through 
it  for  the  Tiber,  gushing  out  of  an  urn  next  the 
statue  of  the  river.  In  another  garden,  is  a  noble 
aviary,  the  birds  artificial,  and  singing  till  an  owl 
appears,  on  which  they  suddenly  change  their 
notes.  Near  this  is  the  fountain  of  dragons, 
casting  out  large  streams  of  water  with  great 
noise.  In  another  grotto,  called  Grotto  di  Natura, 
is  an  hydraulic  organ  ;  and,  below  this,  are  divers 
stews  and  fish-ponds,  in  one  of  which  is  the  statue 
of  Neptune  in  his  chariot  on  a  sea-horse,  in  another 
a  Triton ;  and,  lastly,  a  garden  of  simples.  There 
are  besides  in  the  palace  many  rare  statues  and 
pictures,  bedsteads  richly  inlaid,  and  sundry  other 
precious  movables :  the  whole  is  said  to  have  cost 
the  best  part  of  a  million. 

Having  gratified  our  curiosity  with  these 
artificial  miracles,  and  dined,  we  went  to  see  the 
so  famous  natural  precipice  and  cascade  of  the 
river  Anio,  rushing  down  from  the  mountains  of 
Tivoli  with  that  fury  that,  what  with  the  mist  it 
perpetually  casts  up  by  the  breaking  of  the  water 
against  the  rocks,  and  what  with  the  sun  shining 
on  it  and  forming  a  natural  iris,  and  the  prodigious 
depth  of  the  gulf  below,  it  is  enough  to  astonish 
one  that  looks  on  it.  Upon  the  summit  of  this 
rock  stands  the  ruin  and  some  pillars  and  cornices 
of  the  Temple  of  Sibylla  Tiburtina,  or  Albunea,  a 
round  fabric,  still  discovering  some  of  its  pristine 
beauty.  Here  was  a  great  deal  of  gunpowder 
drying  in  the  sun,  and  a  little  beneath,  mills 
belonging  to  the  Pope. 

And  now  we  returned  to  Rome.  By  the  way, 
we  were  showed,  at  some  distance,  the  city 
Praeneste,  and  the  Hadrian  villa,  now  only  a  heap 
of  ruins  ;  and  so  came  late  to  our  lodging. 

We  now  determined  to  desist  from  visiting  any 
more  curiosities,   except   what   should   happen   to 


266  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

come  in  our  way,  when  my  companion,  Mr. 
Henshaw,  or  myself  should  go  to  take  the  air ; 
only  I  may  not  omit  that  one  afternoon,  diverting 
ourselves  in  the  Piazza  Navona,  a  mountebank 
there  to  allure  curious  strangers,  taking  off  a  ring 
from  his  finger,  which  seemed  set  with  a  dull,  dark 
stone  a  little  swelling  out,  like  what  we  call  (though 
untruly)  a  toadstone,  and  wetting  his  finger  a  little 
in  his  mouth,  and  then  touching  it,  it  emitted  a 
luculent  flame  as  bright  and  large  as  a  small  wax 
candle  ;  ^  then,  blowing  it  out,  repeated  this  several 
times.  I  have  much  regretted  that  I  did  not 
purchase  the  receipt  of  him  for  making  that 
composition  at  what  price  soever ;  for  though 
there  is  a  process  in  Jo.  Baptista  Porta  ^  and  others 
how  to  do  it,  yet  on  several  trials  they  none  of 
them  have  succeeded. 

Amongst  other  observations  I  made  in  Rome 
are  these ;  as  to  coins  and  medals,  ten  asses  make 
the  Roman  denarius,  five  the  quinarius,  ten  denarii 
an  aureus ;  which  account  runs  almost  exactly 
with  what  is  now  in  use  of  quatrini,  baiocs,julios, 
and  scudi,  each  exceeding  the  other  in  the  pro- 
portion of  ten.  The  sestertius  was  a  small  silver 
coin,  marked  h.  s.  or  rather  ll',  valued  two  pounds 
and  a  half  of  silver,  viz.  250  denarii,  about  twenty- 
five  golden  ducati.  The  stamp  of  the  Roman 
denarius  varied,  having  sometimes  a  Janus  bifrons, 
the  head  of  Roma  armed,  or  with  a  chariot  and 
two  horses,  which  were  called  bigae ;  if  with  four, 
quadrigae  \  if  with  a  Victoria,  so  named.  The 
mark  of  the  denarius  was  distinguished  >  |  *< 
thus,  or  X ;  the  quinarius  of  half  value,  had,  on 
one  side,  the  head  of  Rome  and  V  ;  the  reverse, 

^  [Perhaps  the  lapis  iUuminahilis ,  hereafter  mentioned  (see 
post,  p.  281).] 

■^  [John  Baptista  Porta,  1550-l6l5,  a  NeapoUtan  physician, 
author  of  Magice  Naturalis,  1589,  etc.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  267 


Castor  and  Pollux  on  horseback,  inscribed  Roma, 
etc. 

I  observed  that  in  the  Greek  church  they  made 
the  sign  of  the  cross  from  the  right  hand  to  the 
left ;  contrary  to  the  Latins  and  the  schismatic 
Greeks  ;  gave  the  benediction  with  the  first,  second, 
and  little  finger  stretched  out,  retaining  the  third 
bent  down,  expressing  a  distance  of  the  third  Person 
of  the  Holy  Trinity  from  the  first  two. 

For  sculptors  and  architects,  we  found  Bernini 
and  Algardi^  were  in  the  greatest  esteem  ;  Fiamingo, 
as  a  statuary  ;  ^  who  made  the  Andrea  in  St.  Peter's, 
and  is  said  to  have  died  mad  because  it  was  placed 
in  an  ill  light.  Amongst  the  painters,  Antonio  de  la 
Cornea,  who  has  such  an  address  of  counterfeit- 
ing the  hands  of  the  ancient  masters  so  well  as 
to  make  his  copies  pass  for  originals ;  Pietro  de 
Cortone,  Monsieur  Poussin,  a  Frenchman,  and 
innumerable  more.  Fioravanti,  for  armour,  plate, 
dead  life,  tapestry,  etc.  The  chief  masters  of 
music,  after  Marc  Antonio,  the  best  treble,  is 
Cavalier  Lauretto,  an  eunuch  ;  the  next  Cardinal 
Bichi's  eunuch,  Bianchi,  tenor,  and  Nicholai,  base. 
The  Jews  in  Rome  wore  red  hats,  till  the  Cardinal 
of  I^yons,  being  short-sighted,  lately  saluted  one  of 
them,  thinking  him  to  be  a  Cardinal  as  he  passed 
by  his  coach  ;  on  which  an  order  was  made,  that 
they  should  use  only  the  yellow  colour.  There  was 
now  at  Rome  one  Mrs.  Ward,  an  English  devotee, 
who  much  solicited  for  an  order  of  Jesuitesses. 

At  executions  I  saw  one,  a  gentleman,  hanged 
in  his  cloak  and  hat  for  murder.  They  struck  the 
malefactor  with  a  club  that  first  stunned  him  and 
then  cut  his  throat.  At  Naples  they  use  a  frame, 
like  ours  at  Halifax.^ 

1  [Alessandro  Algardi,  d.  10th  June,  165-1'.] 
2  [See  ante,  p.  184.] 
^  A  guillotine  (see  post,  p.  303). 


268  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


It  is  reported  that  Rome  has  been  once  no  less 
than  fifty  miles  in  compass,  now  not  thirteen, 
containing  in  it  3000  chm'ches  and  chapels,  monas- 
teries, etc.  It  is  divided  into  fourteen  regions  or 
wards  ;  has  seven  mountains,  and  as  many  campi  or 
valleys  ;  in  these  are  fair  parks,  or  gardens,  called 
villas,  being  only  places  of  recess  and  pleasure,  at 
some  distance  from  the  streets,  yet  within  the 
walls. 

The  bills  of  exchange  I  took  up  from  my  first 
entering  Italy  till  I  went  from  Rome,  amounting 
but  to  616  ducati  di  banco,  though  I  purchased 
many  books,  pictures,  and  curiosities. 

ISth  May.  I  intended  to  have  seen  Loretto,  but, 
being  disappointed  of  monies  long  expected,  I  was 
forced  to  return  by  the  same  way  I  came,  desiring, 
if  possible,  to  be  at  Venice  by  the  Ascension,  and 
therefore  I  diverted  to  take  Leghorn  in  the  way,  as 
well  to  furnish  me  with  credit  by  a  merchant  there, 
as  to  take  order  for  transporting  such  collections  as 
I  had  made  at  Rome.  When  on  my  way,  turning 
about  to  behold  this  once  and  yet  glorious  city, 
from  an  eminence,  I  did  not,  without  some  regret, 
give  it  my  last  farewell. 

Having  taken  leave  of  our  friends  at  Rome, 
where  I  had  sojourned  now  about  seven  months, 
autumn,  winter,  and  spring,  I  took  coach,  in  com- 
pany with  two  courteous  Italian  gentlemen.  In 
the  afternoon,  we  arrived  at  a  house,  or  rather 
castle,  belonging  to  the  Duke  of  Parma,  called 
Caprarola,^  situate  on  the  brow  of  a  hill,  that  over- 
looks a  little  town,  or  rather  a  natural  and  stu- 
pendous rock  ;  witness  those  vast  caves  serving  now 
for  cellarage,  where  we  were  entertained  with  most 
generous  wine  of  several  sorts,  being  just  under  the 
foundation.     The  Palace  was  built  by  the  famous 

^  ["  Ten    Italian  miles  from   \^iterbo    towards    Rome/'    says 
Keysler,  ii.  p.  94.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  26^ 

architect,  Vignola/  at  the  cost  of  Cardinal  Alex. 
Farnese,  in  form  of  an  octagon,  the  court  in  the 
middle  being  exactly  round,  so  as  rather  to  resemble 
a  fort,  or  castle ;  yet  the  chambers  within  are  all  of 
them  square,  which  makes  the  walls  exceedingly 
thick.  One  of  these  rooms  is  so  artificially  con- 
trived, that  from  the  two  opposite  angles  may  be 
heard  the  least  whisper ;  they  say  any  perfect 
square  does  it.  Most  of  the  paintings  are  by 
Zuccaro.  It  has  a  stately  entry,  on  which  spouts 
an  artificial  fountain  within  the  porch.  The  hall, 
chapel,  and  a  great  number  of  lodging  chambers  are 
remarkable  ;  but  most  of  all  the  pictures  and  witty 
inventions  of  Annibale  Caracci ;  ^  the  Dead  Christ 
is  incomparable.  Behind  are  the  gardens  full  of 
statues  and  noble  fountains,  especially  that  of  the 
Shepherds.  After  dinner,  we  took  horse,  and  lay 
that  night  at  Monte  Rossi,  twenty  miles  from 
Rome. 

l^th  May.  We  dined  at  Viterbo,  and  lay  at  St. 
Laurenzo.  Next  day,  at  Radicofani,^  and  slept  at 
Turnera. 

21^^.  We  dined  at  Siena,  where  we  could  not 
pass  admiring  the  great  church*  built  entirely 
both  within  and  without  with  white  and  black 
marble  in  polished  squares,  by  Macarino,  showing 
so  beautiful  after  a  shower  has  fallen.  The  floor 
within  is  of  various  coloured  marbles,  representing 
the  story  of  both  Testaments,  admirably  wrought. 
Here  lies  Pius  the  Second.  The  biblioteca  is 
painted  by  P.  Perugino  and  Raphael.  The  life 
of  iEneas  Sylvius  is  in  fresco ;    in  the  middle  are 

^  [Giacomi  Barocci  da  Vignola,  1507-73.] 

2  '"  It  is  a  common  mistake  in  the  descriptions  of  Caprarola, 
instead  of  the  commandeur  Annibal  Caro^  to  attribute  the  inven- 
tion of  these  pieces  to  the  painter  Annibal  Caracci^  who  was  not 
born  till  the  year  1560"  (Keysler,  ii.  p.  95>).^ 

2  [See  ante,  p.  149-]  ^  See  ante,  p.  147. 


270  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

the  Three  Graces,  in  antique  marble,  very  curious, 
and  the  front  of  this  building,  though  Gothic,  is  yet 
very  fine.  Amongst  other  things,  they  show  St. 
Catherine's  disciplining  cell,  the  door  whereof  is 
half  cut  out  into  chips  by  the  pilgrims  and  devotees, 
being  of  deal  wood. 

Setting  out  hence  for  Pisa,  we  went  again  to 
see  the  Duomo  in  which  the  Emperor  Henry  VII. 
lies  buried,  poisoned  by  a  monk  in  the  Eucharist.^ 
The  bending  tower  was  built  by  Busqueto  Delichio,^ 
a  Grecian  architect,  and  is  a  stupendous  piece  of  art. 
In  the  gallery  of  curiosities  is  a  fair  mummy  ;  the 
tail  of  a  sea-horse ;  coral  growing  on  a  man's  skull ; 
a  chariot  automaton  ;  two  pieces  of  rock  crystal, 
in  one  of  which  is  a  drop  of  water,  in  the  other 
three  or  four  small  worms ;  two  embalmed 
children ;  divers  petrifactions,  etc.  The  garden 
of  simples  is  well  furnished,  and  has  in  it  the 
deadly  yew,  or  taxus,  of  the  ancients  ;  which  Dr. 
Belluccio,  the  superintendent,  affirms  that  his 
workmen  cannot  endure  to  clip  for  above  the 
space  of  half  an  hour  at  a  time,  from  the  pain  of 
the  head  which  surprises  them. 

We  went  hence  from  Leghorn,  by  coach,  where 
I  took  up  ninety  crowns  for  the  rest  of  my  journey, 
with  letters  of  credit  for  Venice,  after  I  had 
sufficiently  complained  of  my  defeat  of  correspond- 
ence at  Rome. 

The  next  day,  I  came  to  Lucca,  a  small  but 
pretty  territory  and  state  of  itself  The  city  is 
neat  and  well  fortified,  with  noble  and  pleasant 
walks  of  trees  on  the  works,  where  the  gentry  and 
ladies  used  to  take  the  air.  It  is  situate  on  an 
ample  plain  by  the  river  Serchio,  yet  the  country 
about  it  is  hilly.     The  Senate-house  is  magnificent. 

1  [See  ante,  p.  149.] 

2  [Modern  authorities  give  it  not  to  Busketus,  but  to  Bonannus 
oi  Pisa  and  William  of  Innsbruck,  1 174-1350.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  271 


The  church  of  St.  Michael  is  a  noble  piece,  as 
is  also  St.  Fredian,  more  remarkable  to  us  for 
the  corpse  of  St.  Richard,  an  English  king,^  who 
died  here  on  his  pilgrimage  towards  Rome.  This 
epitaph  is  on  his  tomb  : 

Hie  rex  Richardus  requiescit^  sceptifer,  almus  : 
Rex  fuit  Anglorum  ;  regnum  tenet  iste  Polorum. 
Regnum  demisit ;  pro  Christo  cuncta  reliquit. 
Ergo,  Richardum  nobis  dedit  Anglia  sanctum. 
Hie  genitor  Sanctse  Wulburgae  Virginis  almae 
Est  Vrillebaldi  saneti  simul  et  Vinebaldi, 
SufFragium  quorum  nobis  det  regna  Polorum. 

Next  this,  we  visited  St.  Croce,^  an  excellent 
structure  all  of  marble  both  without  and  within,  and 
so  adorned  as  may  vie  with  many  of  the  fairest  even 
in  Rome  :  witness  the  huge  cross,  valued  at  £15,000, 
above  all  venerable  for  that  sacred  volto  which  (as 
tradition  goes)  was  miraculously  put  on  the  image 
of  Christ,  and  made  by  Nicodemus,  whilst  the  artist, 
finishing  the  rest  of  the  body,  was  meditating  what 
face  to  set  on  it.  The  inhabitants  are  exceedingly 
civil  to  strangers,  above  all  places  in  Italy,  and  they 
speak  the  purest  Italian.  It  is  also  cheap  living, 
which  causes  travellers  to  set  up  their  rest  here 
more  than  in  Florence,  though  a  more  celebrated 
city ;  besides,  the  ladies  here  are  very  conversable, 
and  the  religious  women  not  at  all  reserved  ;  of 
these  we  bought  gloves  and  embroidered  stomachers, 
generally  worn  by  gentlemen  in  these  countries. 
The  circuit  of  this  state  is  but  two  easy  days' 
journey,  and  lies  mixed  with  the  Duke  of  Tuscany's, 
but  having  Spain  for  a  protector  (though  the  least 

^  [A  peneil  note  in  a  copy  of  Lassels,  i.  p.  227,  says, "  Bp.  of 
Chichester."  The  Bishop  referred  to  is  Richard  de  Wyche, 
1197  .^-1253.      He  was  canonised  in  1262.] 

-  [The  Duomo  or  Cathedral.  The  Volto  Sacro  di  Lucca — which 
furnished  his  favourite  asseveration  to  WilUam  Rufus — was  said 
to  have  been  miraculously  brought  to  Lucca  in  782.] 


272  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

bigoted  of  all  Roman  Catholics),  and  being  one  of 
the  fortified  cities  in  Italy,  it  remains  in  peace. 
The  whole  country  abounds  in  excellent  olives,  etc. 

Going  hence  for  Florence,  we  dined  at  Pistoia, 
where,  besides  one  church,  there  was  little  observ- 
able :  only  in  the  highway  we  crossed  a  rivulet  of 
salt  water,  though  many  miles  from  the  sea.  The 
country  is  extremely  pleasant,  full  of  gardens,  and 
the  roads  straight  as  a  line  for  the  best  part  of 
that  whole  day,  the  hedges  planted  with  trees  at 
equal  distances,  watered  with  clear  and  plentiful 
streams. 

Rising  early  the  next  morning,  we  arrived  at 
Poggio  Imperiale,  being  a  Palace  of  the  Great 
Duke,  not  far  from  the  city,  having  omitted  it  in 
my  passage  to  Rome.  The  ascent  to  the  house  is 
by  a  stately  gallery  as  it  were  of  tall  and  over- 
grown cypress  trees  for  near  half  a  mile.  At  the 
entrance  of  these  ranges,  are  placed  statues  of  the 
Tiber  and  Arno,  of  marble  ;  those  also  of  Virgil, 
Ovid,  Petrarch,  and  Dante.  The  building  is 
sumptuous,  and  curiously  furnished  within  with 
cabinets  of  pietra-commessa  in  tables,  pavements, 
etc.,  which  is  a  magnificence,  or  work,  particularly 
affected  at  Florence.  The  pictures  are,  Adam  and 
Eve  by  Albert  Diirer,  very  excellent ;  as  is  that 
piece  of  carving  in  wood  by  the  same  hand  stand- 
ing in  a  cupboard.  Here  is  painted  the  whole 
Austrian  line ;  the  Duke's  mother,^  sister  to  the 
Emperor,  the  foundress  of  this  palace,  than  which 
there  is  none  in  Italy  that  I  had  seen  more 
magnificently  adorned,  or  furnished. 

We  could  not  omit  in  our  passage  to  re-visit 
the  same,  and  other  curiosities  which  we  had 
neglected  on  our  first  being  at  Florence.  We 
went,  therefore,  to  see  the  famous  piece  of  Andrea 

1  [Magdalen  of  Austria,  wife  of  the  Grand  Duke  Cosmo  II., 
by  whom  Poggio  Imperiale  was  built  about  l622.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  273 


del  Sarto,^  in  the  Aimunziata.  The  story  is,  that 
the  painter  in  a  time  of  dearth  borrowed  a  sack 
of  corn  of  the  religious  of  that  convent,  and  re- 
payment being  demanded,  he  wrought  it  out  in 
this  picture,  which  represents  Joseph  sitting  on  a 
sack  of  corn,  and  reading  to  the  Blessed  Virgin; 
a  piece  infinitely  valued.  There  fell  down  in 
the  cloister  an  old  man's  face  painted  on  the  wall 
in  f?'esco,  greatly  esteemed,  and  brake  into  crumbs ; 
the  Duke  sent  his  best  painters  to  make  another 
instead  of  it,  but  none  of  them  would  presume  to 
touch  a  pencil  where  Andrea  had  wrought,  like 
another  Apelles  ;  but  one  of  them  was  so  industri- 
ous and  patient,  that,  picking  up  the  fragments, 
he  laid  and  fastened  them  so  artificially  together, 
that  the  injury  it  had  received  was  hardly  dis- 
cernible. Andrea  del  Sarto  lies  buried  in  the  same 
place.  Here  is  also  that  picture  of  Bartolommeo, 
who  having  spent  his  utmost  skill  in  the  face  of 
the  angel  Gabriel,  and  being  troubled  that  he  could 
not  exceed  it  in  the  Virgin,  he  began  the  body  and 
to  finish  the  clothes,  and  so  left  it,  minding  in  the 
morning  to  work  on  the  face ;  but,  when  he  came, 
no  sooner  had  he  drawn  away  the  cloth  that  was 
hung  before  it  to  preserve  it  from  the  dust,  than 
an  admirable  and  ravishing  face  was  found  ready 
painted  ;  at  which  miracle  all  the  city  came  in  to 
worship.  It  is  now  kept  in  the  chapel  of  the 
Salutation,  a  place  so  enriched  by  the  devotees,  that 
none  in  Italy,  save  Loretto,  is  said  to  exceed  it. 
This  picture  is  always  covered  with  three  shutters, 
one  of  which  is  of  massy  silver ;  methinks  it  is 
very  brown,  the  forehead  and  cheeks  whiter,  as  if 
it  had  been  scraped.  They  report  that  those 
who  have  the  honour  of  seeing  it  never  lose 
their  sight — happy  then  we !  Belonging  to  this 
church  is  a  world  of  plate,  some  whole  statues  of 

1  ["  La  Madonna  del  Sacco."] 
VOL.  I  T 


274  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

it,  and  lamps  innumerable,  besides  the  costly  vows 
hung  up,  some  of  gold,  and  a  cabinet  of  precious 
stones. 

Visiting  the  Duke's  repository  again,^  we  told 
at  least  forty  ranks  of  porphyry  and  other  statues, 
and  twenty- eight  whole  figures,  many  rare  paint- 
ings and  rilievos,  two  square  columns  with  trophies. 
In  one  of  the  galleries,  twenty-four  figures,  and 
fifty  antique  heads  ;  a  Bacchus  of  M.  Angelo,  and 
one  of  Bandinelli ;  a  head  of  Bernini,  and  a  most 
lovely  Cupid,  of  Parian  marble ;  at  the  further 
end,  two  admirable  women  sitting,  and  a  man 
fighting  with  a  centaur ;  three  figures  in  little  of 
Andrea ;  a  huge  candlestick  of  amber ;  a  table  of 
Titian's  painting,  and  another  representing  God  the 
Father  sitting  in  the  air  on  the  Four  Evangelists  ; 
animals ;  divers  smaller  pieces  of  Raphael ;  a  piece 
of  pure  virgin  gold,  as  big  as  an  ^gg.  In  the  third 
chamber  of  rarities  is  the  square  cabinet,  valued  at 
80,000  crowns,  showing,  on  every  front,  a  variety 
of  curious  work ;  one  of  birds  and  flowers,  of 
pietr^a-commessa ;  one,  a  descent  from  the  cross,  of 
M.  Angelo  ;  on  the  third,  our  Blessed  Saviour  and 
the  Apostles,  of  amber ;  and,  on  the  fourth,  a 
crucifix  of  the  same.  Betwixt  the  pictures,  two 
naked  Venuses,  by  Titian ;  Adam  and  Eve,  by 
Diirer ;  and  several  pieces  of  Pordenone,  and  del 
Frate.  There  is  a  globe  of  six  feet  diameter.  In 
the  Armoury,  were  an  entire  elk,  a  crocodile,  and 
amongst  the  harness,  several  targets  and  antique 
horse-arms,  as  that  of  Charles  V.  ;  two  set  with 
turquoises,  and  other  precious  stones ;  a  horse's 
tail,  of  a  wonderful  length.  Then,  passing  the 
Old  Palace,  which  has  a  very  great  hall  for  feasts 
and  comedies,  the  roof  rarely  painted,  and  the 
side-walls  with  six  very  large  pictures  represent- 
ing battles,  the  work  of  Gio.  Vasari.     Here  is  a 

1  [See  ante,  p.  141.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  275 

magazine  full  of  plate ;  a  harness  of  emeralds ;  the 
furnitures  of  an  altar  four  feet  high,  and  six  in 
length,  of  massy  gold  ;  in  the  middle  is  placed  the 
statue  of  Cosmo  II.  ;  the  basso-rilievo  is  of  precious 
stones,  his  breeches  covered  with  diamonds ;  the 
mouldings  of  this  statue,  and  other  ornaments, 
festoons,  etc.,  are  garnished  with  jewels  and  great 
pearls,  dedicated  to  St.  Charles,  with  this  inscrip- 
tion, in  rubies  : 

Cosimus  Secundus  Dei  gratia  Magnus  Dux  Etruriae  ex  voto. 

There  is  also  a  King  on  horseback,  of  massy  gold, 
two  feet  high,  and  an  infinity  of  such-like  rarities. 
Looking  at  the  Justice,  in  copper,  set  up  on  a 
column  by  Cosmo,  in  1555,  after  the  victory  over 
Siena,  we  were  told  that  the  Duke,  asking  a 
gentleman  how  he  liked  the  piece,  he  answered, 
that  he  liked  it  very  well,  but  that  it  stood  too 
high  for  poor  men  to  come  at  it. 

Prince  Leopold  has,  in  this  city,  a  very  excellent 
collection  of  paintings,  especially  a  St.  Catherine 
of  P.  Veronese ;  a  Venus  of  marble,  veiled  from 
the  middle  to  the  feet,  esteemed  to  be  of  that 
Greek  workman  who  made  the  Veims  at  the 
Medicis'  Palace  in  Rome,^  altogether  as  good,  and 
better  preserved,  an  inestimable  statue,  not  long 
since  found  about  Bologna. 

Signor  Gaddi  is  a  lettered  person,  and  has 
divers  rarities,  statues,  and  pictures  of  the  best 
masters,  and  one  bust  of  marble  as  much  esteemed 
as  the  most  antique  in  Italy,  and  many  curious 
manuscripts ;  his  best  paintings  are,  a  Virgin  of 
del  Sarto,  mentioned  by  Vasari,  a  St.  John  by 
Raphael,  and  an  "  Ecce  Homo  "  by  Titian. 

The  hall  of  the  Academy  de  la  Crusca^  is  hung 

^  [Kleomenes.] 

2  [Crusca  =  bran,  and  the  function  of  this  body  was  the  "  sift- 
ing of  the  corn  from  the  bran."] 


276  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

about  with  impresses  ^  and  devices  painted,  all  of 
them  relating  to  corn  sifted  from  the  bran  ;  the 
seats  are  made  like  bread-baskets  and  other  rustic 
instruments  used  about  wheat,  and  the  cushions  of 
satin,  like  sacks. 

We  took  our  farewell  of  St.  Laurence,  more 
particularly  noticing  that  piece  of  the  Resurrection, 
which  consists  of  a  prodigious  number  of  naked 
figures,  the  work  of  Pontormo.  On  the  left  hand, 
is  the  Martyrdom  of  St.  Laurence,  by  Bronzino, 
rarely  painted  indeed.  In  a  chapel  is  the  tomb  of 
Pietro  di  Medici,  and  his  brother  John,  of  copper, 
excellently  designed,  standing  on  two  lions'  feet, 
which  end  in  foliage,  the  work  of  M.  Angelo. 
Over  against  this,  are  sepulchres  of  all  the  ducal 
family.  The  altar  has  a  statue  of  the  Virgin  giving 
suck,  and  two  Apostles.  Paulus  Jovius^  has  the 
honour  to  be  buried  in  the  cloister.  Behind  the 
choir  is  the  superb  chapel  of  Ferdinand  I.,  consist- 
ing of  eight  faces,  four  plain,  four  a  little  hollowed  ; 
in  the  other  are  to  be  the  sepulchres,  and  a  niche 
of  paragon  ^  for  the  statue  of  the  prince  now  living, 
all  of  copper  gilt;  above,  is  a  large  table  of  porphyry, 
for  an  inscription  for  the  Duke,  in  letters  of  jasper. 
The  whole  chapel,  walls,  pavement,  and  roof,  are 
full  of  precious  stones  united  with  the  mouldings, 
which  are  also  of  gilded  copper,  and  so  are  the 
bases  and  capitals  of  the  columns.  The  tabernacle, 
with  the  whole  altar,  is  inlaid  with  cornelians, 
lazuli,  serpentine,  agates,  onyxes,  etc.  On  the 
other  side,  are  six  very  large  columns  of  rock 
crystal,  eight  figures  of  precious  stones  of  several 

1  [See  ante  J  p.  1 69.  A  fresh  illustration  of  the  word  is  afforded 
by  Mr.  Sidney  Lee's  recent  Shakespeare  discovery,  where  the 
poet  figures  as  having  designed  an  "impreso"  for  the  Duke  of 
Rutland  in  l6l3  (Tirnes,  27th  December,  1905). 

2  [See  a7ite,  p.  141.] 

3  [Paragotie — the  black  marble  of  Bergamo.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  277 

colours,  inlaid  in  natural  figures,  not  inferior  to  the 
best  paintings,  amongst  which  are  many  pearls, 
diamonds,  amethysts,  topazes,  sumptuous  and 
sparkling  beyond  description.  The  windows  with- 
out side  are  of  white  marble.  The  library  is  the 
architecture  of  Raphael ;  before  the  port  is  a 
square  vestibule  of  excellent  art,  of  all  the  orders, 
without  confusion  ;  the  ascent  to  it  from  the  library 
is  excellent.  We  numbered  eighty-eight  shelves, 
all  MSS.  and  bound  in  red,  chained  ;  in  all  about 
3500  volumes,  as  they  told  us. 

The  Arsenal  has  sufficient  to  arm  70,000  men, 
accurately  preserved  and  kept,  with  divers  lusty 
pieces  of  ordnance,  whereof  one  is  for  a  ball  of  300 
pounds  weight,  and  another  for  160,  which  weighs 
72,500  pounds. 

When  I  was  at  Florence,  the  celebrated  masters 
were :  for  pietra-commessa  (a  kind  of  mosaic,  or 
inlaying,  of  various  coloured  marble,  and  other 
more  precious  stones),  Dominico  Benetti  and 
Mazotti ;  the  best  statuary,  Vincentio  Brochi. 
This  statuary  makes  those  small  figures  in  plaster 
and  pasteboard,  which  so  resemble  copper  that, 
till  one  handles  them,  they  cannot  be  distinguished, 
he  has  so  rare  an  art  of  bronzing  them  ;  I  bought 
four  of  him.  The  best  painter,  Pietro  Berretini  di 
Cortona.^ 

This  Duke  has  a  daily  tribute  for  every  courte- 
san, or  prostitute,  allowed  to  practise  that  infamous 
trade  in  his  dominions,  and  so  has  his  Holiness  the 
Pope,  but  not  so  much  in  value. 

Taking  leave  of  our  two  jolly  companions, 
Signor  Giovanni  and  his  fellow,^  we  took  horses  for 
Bologna  ;  and,  by  the  way,  alighted  at  a  villa  of 
the  Grand  Duke's,  called  Pratolino.     The  house  is 

1  [Pietro    Berretini    da    Cortona^    1596-166.9,   a    Florentine, 
whose  frescoes  are  in  the  Pitti  Palace.] 
-  [Not  hitherto  mentioned.] 


278  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

a  square  of  four  pavilions,  with  a  fair  platform 
about  it,  balustred  with  stone,  situate  in  a  large 
meadow,  ascending  like  an  amphitheatre,  having  at 
the  bottom  a  huge  rock,  with  water  running  in  a 
small  channel,  like  a  cascade ;  on  the  other  side, 
are  the  gardens.  The  whole  place  seems  con- 
secrated to  pleasure  and  summer  retirement.  The 
inside  of  the  Palace  may  compare  with  any  in 
Italy  for  furniture  of  tapestry,  beds,  etc.,  and  the 
gardens  are  delicious,  and  full  of  fountains.  In 
the  grove  sits  Pan  feeding  his  flock,  the  water 
making  a  melodious  sound  through  his  pipe  ;  and 
a  Hercules,  whose  club  yields  a  shower  of  water, 
which,  falling  into  a  great  shell,  has  a  naked  woman 
riding  on  the  backs  of  dolphins.  In  another  grotto 
is  Vulcan  and  his  family,  the  walls  richly  composed 
of  corals,  shells,  copper,  and  marble  figures,  with 
the  hunting  of  several  beasts,  moving  by  the  force 
of  water.  Here,  having  been  well  washed  for  our 
curiosity,  we  went  down  a  large  walk,  at  the  sides 
whereof  several  slender  streams  of  water  gush  out 
of  pipes  concealed  underneath,  that  interchangeably 
fall  into  each  other's  channels,  making  a  lofty  and 
perfect  arch,  so  that  a  man  on  horseback  may  ride 
under  it,  and  not  receive  one  drop  of  wet.  This 
canopy,  or  arch  of  water,  I  thought  one  of  the 
most  surprising  magnificences  I  had  ever  seen,  and 
very  refreshing  in  the  heat  of  the  summer.  At  the 
end  of  this  very  long  walk,  stands  a  woman  in 
white  marble,  in  posture  of  a  laundress  wringing 
water  out  of  a  piece  of  linen,  very  naturally  formed, 
into  a  vast  laver,  the  work  and  invention  of  M. 
Angelo  Buonarotti.^     Hence,  we  ascended  Mount 

1  [Sir  Henry  Wotton  describes  this  a  ^^  matehlesse  pattern" 
of  a  "  figured  Fountain,  .  .  .  done  by  the  famous  hand  of 
Michael  Angelo  da  Buonaroti,  in  the  figure  of  a  sturdy  ivoman, 
washing  and  winding  of  Hnen  cloths  ;  in  which  Act,  she  wrings  out 
the  water  that  made  the  Fountain,  which  was  a  graceful  and 
natural  conceit  in   the    Artificer,  implying  this   rule ;  That   all 


1641 


JOHN  EVELYN  279 


Parnassus,  where  the  Muses  played  to  us  on 
hydraulic  organs.  Near  this  is  a  great  aviary. 
All  these  waters  came  from  the  rock  in  the  garden, 
on  which  is  the  statue  of  a  giant  ^  representing  the 
Apennines,  at  the  foot  of  which  stands  this  villa. 
Last  of  all,  we  came  to  the  labyrinth,  in  which  a 
huge  coloss  of  Jupiter  throws  out  a  stream  over 
the  garden.  This  is  fifty  feet  in  height,  having  in 
his  body  a  square  chamber,  his  eyes  and  mouth 
serving  for  windows  and  door. 

We  took  horse  and  supped  that  night  at  II 
Ponte,  passing  a  dreadful  ridge  of  the  Apennines, 
in  many  places  capped  with  snow,  which  covers 
them  the  whole  summer.  We  then  descended  into 
a  luxurious  and  rich  plain.  The  next  day  we 
passed  through  Scarperia,  mounthig  the  hills  again, 
where  the  passage  is  so  straight  and  precipitous 
towards  the  right  hand,  that  we  climbed  them  with 
much  care  and  danger ;  lodging  at  Fiorenzuola, 
which  is  a  fort  built  amongst  the  rocks,  and  de- 
fending the  confines  of  the  Great  Duke's  territories. 

The  next  day,  we  passed  by  the  Pietra  Mala, 
a  burning  mountain.  At  the  summit  of  this 
prodigious  mass  of  hills,  we  had  an  unpleasant  way 
to  Pianoro,  where  we  slept  that  night  and  were 
entertained  with  excellent  wine.     Hence  to  Scarica 

designs  of  this  kind,  should  be  proper"  {Reliquice  Wottoniaiice , 
l685,  p.  65).  He  also  praises  the  water  arch  as  "  An  Invention  for 
refreshment,  surely  far  excelling  all  the  Alexandrian  Delicacies, 
and  Pneumaticks  of  Hero  "  {ih.  pp.  Qo-QQ).^ 

1  [The  giant  rock  at  Pratolino,  "  roughly  hewn  out  into  the 
outlines  of  human  forai,"  of  which  Walpole  writes  to  Chute, 
20th  August,  1743.  Reresby  refers  to  it  as  follows: — ^^  In  the 
upper  part  of  this  garden  stands  the  statue  of  a  giant,  forty-five 
ells  in  height ;  about  him  are  several  nymphs,  carved  in  stone, 
casting  out  water"  (^Travels,  1831,  p.  91).  He  also  mentions  the 
arch  of  water,  p.  90 ;  and  the  statue  of  the  laundress  which, 
"by  the  turning  of  a  cock,  beats  a  buck  [i.e.  a  tub  or  basket  of 
linen]  with  a  battledore,  and  turns  clothes  with  the  left  hand  " 
(p.  91).] 


280  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


r  Asino,  and  to  bed  at  Lojano.  This  plain  begins 
about  six  miles  from  Bologna. 

Bologna  belongs  to  the  Pope,  and  is  a  famous 
University,  situate  in  one  of  the  richest  spots  of 
Europe  for  all  sorts  of  provisions.  It  is  built  like 
a  ship,  whereof  the  Torre  d' Asinelli  may  go  for  the 
mainmast.  The  city  is  of  no  great  strength,  having 
a  trifling  wall  about  it,  in  circuit  near  five  miles, 
and  two  in  length.  This  Torre  d' Asinelli,  ascended 
by  447  steps  of  a  foot  rise,  seems  exceedingly  high, 
is  very  narrow,  and  the  more  conspicuous  from 
another  tower  called  Garisendi,  so  artificially  built 
of  brick  (which  increases  the  wonder),  that  it  seems 
ready  to  fall.  It  is  not  now  so  high  as  the  other ; 
but  they  say  the  upper  part  was  formerly  taken 
down,  for  fear  it  should  really  fall,  and  do  mischief. 

Next,  we  went  to  see  an  imperfect  church, 
called  St.  Petronius,  showing  the  intent  of  the 
founder,  had  he  gone  on.  From  this,  our  guide 
led  us  to  the  schools,  which  indeed  are  very 
magnificent.  Thence  to  St.  Dominic's,  where  that 
saint's  body  lies  richly  enshrined.  The  stalls,  or 
seats,  of  this  goodly  church  have  the  history  of  the 
Bible  inlaid  with  several  woods,  very  curiously 
done,  the  work  of  one  Fr.  Damiano  di  Bergamo, 
and  a  friar  of  that  order.  ^  Amongst  other  relics, 
they  show  the  two  books  of  Esdras,  ^^Titten  with 
his  own  hand.  Here  lie  buried  Jac.  Andreas,^ 
and  divers  other  learned  persons.  To  the  church 
joins  the  convent,  in  the  quadrangle  whereof  are 
old  cypresses,  said  to  have  been  planted  by  their 
saint. 

Then  we  went  to  the  Palace  of  the  Legate  ;  a 
fair  brick  building,  as  are  most  of  the  houses  and 

^  ["  This  kind  of  Mosaick  work  in  wood  was  anciently  (sayth 
Vasari)  called  Tarsia,  and  in  this  kind  of  worke  Brunelleschi  and 
Maiano  did  good  things  in  Florence''  (Lassels,  i.  p.  143).] 

2  [John  Andreas,  1 275-1 348,  canonist  at  Bologna.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  281 


buildings,  full  of  excellent  carving  and  mouldings, 
so  as  nothing  in  stone  seems  to  be  better  finished 
or  more  ornamental ;  ^  witness  those  excellent 
columns  to  be  seen  in  many  of  their  churches, 
convents,  and  public  buildings ;  for  the  whole  town 
is  so  cloistered,  that  one  may  pass  from  house  to 
house  through  the  streets  without  being  exposed 
either  to  rain,  or  sun. 

Before  the  stately  hall  of  this  Palace  stands  the 
statue  of  Paul  IV.  and  divers  others ;  also  the 
monument  of  the  coronation  of  Charles  V.  The 
piazza  before  it  is  the  most  stately  in  Italy,  St. 
Mark's  at  Venice  only  excepted.  In  the  centre  of 
it  is  a  fountain  of  Neptune,  a  noble  figure  in  copper. 
Here  I  saw  a  Persian  walking  about  in  a  rich  vest 
of  cloth  of  tissue,  and  several  other  ornaments, 
according  to  the  fashion  of  his  country,  which 
much  pleased  me ;  ^^  he  was  a  young  handsome 
person,  of  the  most  stately  mien. 

I  would  fain  have  seen  the  library  of  St.  Saviour, 
famous  for  the  number  of  rare  manuscripts ;  but 
could  not,  so  we  went  to  St.  Francis,  a  glorious 
pile,  and  exceedingly  adorned  within. 

After  dinner,  I  inquired  out  a  priest  and  Dr. 
Montalbano,  to  whom  I  brought  recommendations 
from  Rome ;  this  learned  person  invented,  or  found 
out,  the  composition  of  the  lapis  iUuminabilis,  or 
phosphorus.  He  showed  me  their  property  (for  he 
had  several),  being  to  retain  the  light  of  the  sun 

1  [Here  (according  to  Lassels,  i.  p.  147)  was  the  "  rare  Cabinet 
and  Study"  of  the  great  Aldrovandus,  which  Evelyn  does  not 
seem  to  have  seen.  It  is  also  mentioned  in  l665  by  Edward 
Browne.  "  I  saw  Aldrovandi  musa^um,  where  are  the  gretest 
collection  of  naturall  things  I  ever  saw ;  and  besides  bookes 
painted  of  all  sorts  of  annimalls^  there  are  twelve  large  folios  of 
plants^  most  exquisitely  painted"  (Sir  T.  Browne's  Works,  1836, 
i.  89).] 

-  [This  dress^  for  a  brief  space,  was  adopted  by  the  court  of 
Charles  II.  (see  post,  under  18th  October,  l666).] 


282  THE  DIARY  OF 


1645 


for  some  competent  time,  by  a  kind  of  imbibition, 
by  a  particular  way  of  calcination.  Some  of  these 
presented  a  blue  colour,  like  the  flame  of  brimstone, 
others  like  coals  of  a  kitchen  fire.  The  rest  of  the 
afternoon  was  taken  up  in  St.  Michael  in  Bosco, 
built  on  a  steep  hill  on  the  edge  of  the  city,  for  its 
fabric,  pleasant  shade  and  groves,  cellars,  dormitory, 
and  prospects,  one  of  the  most  delicious  retirements 
I  ever  saw  ;  art  and  nature  contending  which  shall 
exceed  ;  so  as  till  now  I  never  envied  the  life  of  a 
friar.  The  whole  town  and  country  to  a  vast 
extent  are  under  command  of  their  eyes,  almost  as 
far  as  Venice  itself.  In  this  convent  there  are 
many  excellent  paintings  of  Guido  Reni ;  ^  above 
all,  the  little  cloister  of  eight  faces,  painted  by 
Caracci  ^  in  fresco.  The  carvings  in  wood,  in  the 
sacristy,  are  admirable,  as  is  the  inlaid  work  about 
the  chapel,  which  even  emulates  the  best  paintings  ; 
the  work  is  so  delicate  and  tender.  The  paintings 
of  the  Saviour  are  of  Caracci  and  Leonardo,  and 
there  are  excellent  things  of  Raphael  which  we 
could  not  see. 

In  the  Church  of  St.  John  is  a  fine  piece  of  St. 
Cecilia,  by  Raphael.^  As  to  other  paintings,  there 
is  in  the  Church  of  St.  Gregory  an  excellent  picture 
of  a  Bishop  giving  the  habit  of  St.  Bernard  to  an 
armed  soldier,  with  several  other  figures  in  the 
piece,  the  work  of  Guercino.  Indeed,  this  city  is 
full  of  rare  pieces,  especially  of  Guido  Domenico, 
and  a  virgin  named  Isabella  Sirani,  now  fiving, 
who  has  painted  many  excellent  pieces,  and 
imitates  Guido  so  well,  that  many  skilful  artists 
have  been  deceived.^ 

1  [Guido   Reni,   1575-1642,  was   a    Bolognese,   and    died   at 
Bologna.] 

2  [Lodovico  Caracci,  1555-l6l9] 

3  [Now  in  the  Gallery  of  Bologna.  There  is  a  famous  en- 
graving of  the  original  drawing  by  Marc  Antonio.] 

*  Giovanni  Andrea  Sirani,  a  Bolognese   artist,   l6lO-70,  had 


1(J45 


JOHN  EVELYN 


288 


At  the  Mendicants  are  the  Miracles  of  St.  Eloy, 
by  Reni,  after  the  manner  of  Caravaggio,  but 
better ;  and  here  they  showed  us  that  famous  piece 
of  Christ  calling  St.  Matthew,  by  Annibal  Caracci. 
The  Marquis  Magniani  has  the  whole  frieze  of  his 
hall  painted  m  fresco  by  the  same  hand. 

Many  of  the  religious  men  nourish  those  lap- 
dogs  which  the  ladies  are  so  fond  of,  and  which 
they  here  sell.  They  are  a  pigmy  sort  of  spaniels, 
whose  noses  they  break  when  puppies ;  which,  in 
my  opinion,  deforms  them. 

At  the  end  of  the  turning  in  one  of  the  wings 
of  the  dormitory  of  St.  Michael,  I  found  a  paper 
pasted  near  the  window,  containing  the  dimensions 
of  most  of  the  famous  churches  in  Italy  compared 
with  their  towers  here,  and  the  length  of  this 
gallery,  a  copy  whereof  I  took. 


St.  Pietro  di  Roma,  longo     . 
Cupalo  del  muro,  alta    . 
Torre  d'  Asinello,  alto    . 
Dormitorio    de   St.   Mich,    a 
Bologn.  longo     . 

Braccia.i 

284 
210 
2081 

254 

Piedi  di  Bolognia. 

Oanna  di 
Roma. 

473 
350 
348 

423 

84 
60 
59  pr.°»»  6 

From  hence,  being  brought  to  a  subterranean 
territory  of  cellars,  the  courteous  friars  made  us 
taste  a  variety  of  excellent  wines ;  and  so  we 
departed  to  our  inn. 

The  city  is  famous  also  for  sausages  ;  and  here 
is  sold  great  quantities  of  Parmegiano  cheese,  with 

three  daughters.  The  most  celebrated,  Elizabetta,  born  l6"38, 
and  died  August  1665,  is  the  lady  alluded  to  by  Evelyn  as 
having  been  so  famous  a  copyist  of  Guido,  of  whom  her  father 
was  a  pupil  and  imitator.  Her  sisters,  Anna  and  Barbara,  were 
also  artists,  but  never  reached  tlie  excellence  of  Elizabetta. 
1  A  measure  of  half  an  ell. 


284  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

botargo/  caviare,  etc.,  which  makes  some  of  their 
shops  perfume  the  streets  with  no  agreeable  smell. 
We  furnished  ourselves  with  wash-balls,  the  best 
being  made  here,  and  being  a  considerable  com- 
modity. This  place  has  also  been  celebrated  for 
lutes  made  by  the  old  masters,  Mollen,  Hans  Fries, 
and  Nicholas  Sconvelt,  which  were  of  extraordinary 
price ;  the  workmen  were  chiefly  Germans.  The 
cattle  used  for  draught  in  this  country  (which  is 
very  rich  and  fertile,  especially  in  pasturage)  are 
covered  with  housings  of  linen  fringed  at  the 
bottom,  that  dangle  about  them,  preserving  them 
from  flies,  which  in  summer  are  very  troublesome. 

From  this  pleasant  city,  we  proceeded  towards 
Ferrara,  carrying  with  us  a  hidletino,  or  bill  of 
health  (customary  in  all  these  parts  of  Italy, 
especially  in  the  State  of  Venice),  and  so  put  our- 
selves into  a  boat  that  was  towed  with  horses, 
often  interrupted  by  the  sluices  (inventions  there  to 
raise  the  water  for  the  use  of  mills,  and  to  fill  the 
artificial  canals)  at  every  [one]  of  which  we  stayed 
till  passage  was  made.  We  went  by  the  Castle 
Bentivoglio,^  and,  about  night,  arrived  at  an  ugly 
inn  called  Mai  Albergo,  agreeable  to  its  name, 
whence,  after  we  had  supped,  we  embarked  and 
passed  that  night  through  the  Fens,  where  we  ^vere 
so  pestered  with  those  flying  glow-worms,  called 
lucciole,  that  one  who  had  never  lieard  of  them, 
would   think   the   country  full   of  sparks  of  fire. 

^  [Botargos — the  houtargues  of  Rabelais — are  sausages  made 
with  mullet  or  tumiy  roe,  provoking  thirst.  In  some  verses  on 
observing  Lent,  Howell  seems  to  include  Botargos  in  a  Lenten 
diet  :— 

Not  to  let  down  Lamb,  Kid  or  Veal, 

Hen,  Plover,  Turkey-cock  or  Teal, 

And  eat  Botargo,  Caviar, 

Anchovies,  Oysters  and  like  fare — 

is,  he  contends,  but  "  to  play  the  juggling  Hypocrite  "  in  fasting 
{FamUiar  Letters,  Bk.  IV.  Letter  v.).] 
-  [See  ante,  p.  254.] 


164! 


JOHN  EVELYN  285 


Beating  some  of  theiri  down,  and  applying  tliem  to 
a  book,  T  could  read  in  the  dark  by  the  light  they 
afforded. 

Quitting  our  boat,  we  took  coach,  and  by 
morning  got  to  Ferrara,  where,  before  we  could 
gain  entrance,  our  guns  and  arms  were  taken  from 
us  of  custom,  the  lock  being  taken  off  before,  as 
we  were  advised.  The  city  is  in  a  low  marshy 
country,  and  therefore  well  fortified.  The  houses 
and  streets  have  nothhig  of  beauty,  except  the 
palace  and  church  of  St.  Benedict,  where  Ariosto 
lies  buried,^  and  there  are  some  good  statues,  the 
Palazzo  del  Diamante,-  citadel,  church  of  St. 
Dominico.  The  market-place  is  very  spacious, 
having  in  its  centre  the  figure  of  Nicholao  Olao, 
once  JDuke  of  Ferrara,  on  horseback,  in  copper. 
It  is,  in  a  word,  a  dirty  town,  and,  though  the 
streets  be  large,  they  remain  ill  paved  ;  yet  it  is 
a  University,  and  now  belongs  to  the  Pope. 
Though  there  are  not  many  fine  houses  in  the 
city,  the  inn  where  we  lodged  w^as  a  very  noble 
palace,  having  an  Angel  for  its  sign. 

We  parted  from  hence  about  three  in  the  after- 
noon, and  went  some  of  our  way  on  the  canal,  and 
then  embarked  on  the  Po,  or  Padus,  by  the  poets 
called  Eridanus,  where  they  feign  Phaeton  to  have 
fallen  after  his  rash  attempt,  and  where  lo  was 
metamorphosed  into  a  cow.  There  was  in  our 
company,  amongst  others,  a  Polonian  Bishop,  who 
was  exceeding  civil  to  me  in  this  passage,  and  after- 
wards did  me  many  kindnesses  at  Venice.  V^e 
supped  this  night  at  a  place  called  Corbola[?],  near 

1  ["  I  saw  also  Ariosto' s  tomb,  in  the  Benedictine's  church," 
says  Edward  Browne  in  l665,  "and  a  good  comedie  at  night" 
(Sir  T.  Browne's  Works,  1836,  i.  90).  The  poet's  house  still 
stands  in  the  Via  dei  Ariostei  at  Ferrara.] 

'^  [Of  white  marble  ^'cut  diamaut  wise  into  sharp  points" 
(Lassels,  ii.  p.  S59).'\ 


286  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city,  Adria,  which  gives 
name  to  the  Gulf,  or  Sea.  After  three  miles, 
having  passed  thirty  on  the  Po,  we  embarked  in  a 
stout  vessel,  and  through  an  artificial  canal,  very 
straight,  we  entered  the  Adige,  which  carried  us 
by  break  of  day  into  the  Adriatic,  and  so  sailing 
prosperously  by  Chioggia  (a  town  upon  an  island 
in  this  sea),  and  Pelestrina,  we  came  over  against 
Malamocco  (the  chief  port  and  anchorage  where 
our  English  merchantmen  lie  that  trade  to  Venice) 
about  seven  at  night,  after  we  had  stayed  at  least 
two  hours  for  permission  to  land,  our  bill  of  health 
being  delivered,  according  to  custom.  So  soon  as 
we  came  on  shore,  we  were  conducted  to  the 
Dogana,  where  our  portmanteaus  were  visited,  and 
then  we  got  to  our  lodging,  which  was  at  honest 
Signor  Paulo  Rhodomante's  at  the  Black  Eagle, 
near  the  Rialto,  one  of  the  best  quarters  of  the 
town.  This  journey  from  Rome  to  Venice  cost 
me  seven  pistoles,  and  thirteen  julios. 

June.  The  next  morning,  finding  myself  ex- 
tremely weary  and  beaten  with  my  journey,  I  went 
to  one  of  their  bagnios,  where  you  are  treated  after 
the  eastern  manner,  washing  with  hot  and  cold 
water,  with  oils,  and  being  rubbed  with  a  kind  of 
strigil  of  seal's-skin,  put  on  the  operator's  hand 
like  a  glove.  This  bath  did  so  open  my  pores, 
that  it  cost  me  one  of  the  greatest  colds  I  ever  had 
in  my  life,  for  want  of  necessary  caution  in  keeping 
myself  warm  for  some  time  after  ;  for,  coming  out, 
I  immediately  began  to  visit  the  famous  places  of 
the  city;  and  travellers  who  come  into  Italy  do 
nothing  but  run  up  and  down  to  see  sights,  and 
this  city  well  deserved  our  admiration,  being  the 
most  wonderfully  placed  of  any  in  the  world,  built 
on  so  many  hundred  islands,  in  the  very  sea,  and  at 
good  distance  from  the  continent.  It  has  no  fresh 
water,  except  what  is  reserved  in  cisterns  from  rain. 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  287 

and  such  as  is  daily  brought  from  terra  fir  ma  in 
boats,  yet  there  was  no  want  of  it,  and  all  sorts  of 
excellent  provisions  were  very  cheap. 

It  is  said  that  when  the  Huns  overran  Italy, 
some  mean  fishermen  and  others  left  the  main- 
land, and  fled  for  shelter  to  these  despicable  and 
muddy  islands,  which,  in  process  of  time,  by 
industry,  are  grown  to  the  greatness  of  one  of  the 
most  considerable  States,  considered  as  a  Republic, 
and  having  now  subsisted  longer  than  any  of  the 
four  ancient  Monarchies,  flourishing  in  great  state, 
wealth,  and  glory,  by  the  conquest  of  great 
territories  in  Italy,  Dacia,  Greece,  Candia,  Rhodes, 
and  Sclavonia,  and  at  present  challenging  the  empire 
of  all  the  Adriatic  Sea,  which  they  yearly  espouse 
by  casting  a  gold  ring  into  it  with  great  pomp  and 
ceremony,  on  Ascension-day  ;  the  desire  of  seeing 
this  was  one  of  the  reasons  that  hastened  us  from 
Rome. 

The  Doge,  having  heard  mass  in  his  robes  of 
state  (which  are  very  particular,  after  the  eastern 
fashion),  together  with  the  Senate  in  their  gowns, 
embarked  in  their  gloriously  painted,  carved,  and 
gilded  Bucentaur,  environed  and  followed  by  in- 
numerable galleys,  gondolas,  and  boats,  filled  With 
spectators,  some  dressed  in  masquerade,  trumpets, 
music,  and  cannons.  Having  rowed  about  a  league 
into  the  Gulf,  the  Duke,  at  the  prow,  casts  a  gold 
ring  and  cup  into  the  sea,  at  which  a  loud  acclama- 
tion is  echoed  from  the  great  guns  of  the  Arsenal 
and  at  the  Lido.     We  then  returned. 

Two  days  after,  taking  a  gondola,  which  is  their 
water-coach  (for  land  ones,  there  are  many  old  men 
in  this  city  who  never  saw  one,  or  rarely  a  horse), 
we  rowed  up  and  down  the  channels,  which  answer 
to  our  streets.  These  vessels  are  built  very  long 
and  narrow,  having  necks  and  tails  of  steel,  some- 
what spreading  at  the  beak  like  a  fish's  tail,  and 


288  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

kept  so  exceedingly  polished  as  to  give  a  great 
lustre  ;  some  are  adorned  with  carving,  others  lined 
with  velvet  (commonly  black),  with  curtains  and 
tassels,  and  the  seats  like  couches,  to  lie  stretched 
on,  while  he  who  rows,  stands  upright  on  the  very 
edge  of  the  boat,  and,  with  one  oar  bending  forward 
as  if  he  would  fall  into  the  sea,  rows  and  turns 
with  incredible  dexterity :  thus  passing  from 
channel  to  channel,  landing  his  fare,  or  patron,  at 
what  house  he  pleases.  The  beaks  of  these  vessels 
are  not  unlike  the  ancient  Roman  rostrums. 

The  first  public  building  I  went  to  see  was  the 
Rialto,  a  bridge  of  one  arch  over  the  grand  canal, 
so  large  as  to  admit  a  galley  to  row  under  it,  built 
of  good  marble,  and  having  on  it,  besides  many 
pretty  shops,  three  ample  and  stately  passages  for 
people  without  any  inconvenience,  the  two  utmost 
nobly  balustred  with  the  same  stone ;  a  piece  of 
architecture  much  to  be  admired.  It  was  evening, 
and  the  canal  where  the  noblesse  go  to  take  the 
air,  as  in  our  Hyde  Park,  was  full  of  ladies  and 
gentlemen.  There  are  many  times  dangerous 
stops,  by  reason  of  the  multitude  of  gondolas  ready 
to  sink  one  another  ;  and  indeed  they  effect  to  lean 
them  on  one  side,  that  one  who  is  not  accustomed 
to  it,  would  be  afraid  of  oversetting.  Here  they 
were  singing,  playing  on  harpsichords,  and  other 
music,  and  serenading  their  mistresses  ;  in  another 
place,  racing,  and  other  pastimes  on  the  water,  it 
being  now  exceeding  hot. 

Next  day,  I  went  to  their  Exchange,  a  place 
like  ours,  frequented  by  merchants,  but  nothing  so 
magnificent :  from  thence,  my  guide  led  me  to  the 
Fondaco  dei  Tedeschi,  which  is  their  magazine,  and 
here  many  of  the  merchants,  especially  Germans, 
have  their  lodging  and  diet,  as  in  a  college.  The 
outside  of  this  stately  fabric  is  painted  by  Giorgione 
da  Castelfranco,  and  Titian  himself. 


-*•:    v,    .kp:^-' 


^•^^F 


^^^W^ 
-^^^a^?^  ^'^i  -^^ 


•^a^ 


"=n  I 


tv/ 


•>;ti 


^^ 


4sa 


^ 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  289 


Hence,  I  passed  through  the  Merceria,  one  of 
the  most  delicious  streets  in  the  world  for  the 
sweetness  of  it,  and  is  all  the  way  on  both  sides 
tapestried  as  it  were  with  cloth  of  gold,  rich 
damasks  and  other  silks,  which  the  shops  expose 
and  hang  before  their  houses  from  the  first  floor, 
and  with  that  variety  that  for  near  half  the  year 
spent  chiefly  in  this  city,  I  hardly  remember  to 
have  seen  the  same  piece  twice  exposed  ;  to  this 
add  the  perfumes,  apothecaries'  shops,  and  the  in- 
numerable cages  of  nightingales  which  they  keep, 
that  entertain  you  with  their  melody  from  shop  to 
shop,  so  that  shutting  your  eyes,  you  would  imagine 
yourself  in  the  country,  when  indeed  you  are  in 
the  middle  of  the  sea.  It  is  almost  as  silent  as 
the  middle  of  a  field,  there  being  neither  rattling 
of  coaches  nor  trampling  of  horses.  This  street, 
paved  with  brick,  and  exceedingly  clean,  brought 
us  through  an  arch  into  the  famous  piazza  of 
St.  Mark. 

Over  this  porch  stands  that  admirable  clock, 
celebrated  next  to  that  of  Strasburg  for  its  many 
movements  ;  amongst  which,  about  twelve  and  six, 
which  are  their  hours  of  Ave  Maria,  when  all  the 
town  are  on  their  knees,  come  forth  the  three 
Kings  led  by  a  star,  and  passing  by  the  image  of 
Christ  in  his  Mother's  arms,  do  their  reverence, 
and  enter  into  the  clock  by  another  door.  At  the 
top  of  this  turret,  another  automaton  strikes  the 
quarters.  An  honest  merchant  told  me  that  one 
day  walkhig  in  the  piazza,  he  saw  the  fellow  who 
kept  the  clock  struck  with  this  hammer  so  forcibly, 
as  he  was  stooping  his  head  near  the  bell,  to  mend 
something  amiss  at  the  instant  of  striking,  that 
being  stunned,  he  reeled  over  the  battlements,  and 
broke  his  neck.  The  buildings  in  this  piazza  are 
all  arched,  on  pillars,  paved  within  with  black  and 
white  polished  marble,  even  to  the  shops,  the  rest 

VOL.  I  u 


290  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

of  the  fabric  as  stately  as  any  in  Europe,  being  not 
only  marble,  but  the  architecture  is  of  the  famous 
Sansovino,  who  lies  buried  in  St.  Jacomo,  at  the 
end  of  the  piazza.^  The  battlements  of  this  noble 
range  of  building  are  railed  with  stone,  and  thick- 
set with  excellent  statues,  which  add  a  great 
ornament.  One  of  the  sides  is  yet  much  more 
Roman-like  than  the  other  which  regards  the  sea, 
and  where  the  church  is  placed.  The  other  range 
is  plainly  Gothic  :  and  so  we  entered  into  St.  Mark's 
Church,  before  which  stand  two  brass  pedestals 
exquisitely  cast  and  figured,  which  bear  as  many 
tall  masts  painted  red,  on  which,  upon  great 
festivals,  they  hang  flags  and  streamers.  The 
church  is  also  Gothic  ;  yet  for  the  preciousness  of 
the  materials,  being  of  several  rich  marbles,  abund- 
ance of  porphyry,  serpentine,  etc.,  far  exceeding 
any  in  Rome,  St.  Peter's  hardly  excepted.  I  much 
admired  the  splendid  history  of  our  blessed  Saviour, 
composed  all  of  mosaic  over  the  facciata,  below 
which  and  over  the  chief  gates  are  cast  four  horses 
in  copper  as  big  as  the  life,  the  same  that  formerly 
were  transported  from  Rome  by  Constantine  to 
Byzantium,  and  thence  by  the  Venetians  hither.^ 
They  are  supported  by  eight  porphyry  columns,  of 
very  great  size  and  value.  Being  come  into  the 
Church,  you  see  nothing,  and  tread  on  nothing,  but 
what  is  precious.  The  floor  is  all  inlaid  with 
agates,  lazulis,  chalcedons,  jaspers,  porphyries,  and 
other  rich  marbles,  admirable  also  for  the  work ; 
the  walls  sumptuously  incrusted,  and  presenting  to 
the  imagination  the  shapes  of  men,  birds,  houses, 
flowers,  and  a  thousand  varieties.     The  roof  is  of 

^  [Query, — St.  Geminiano.  It  was  pulled  down  in  1 809  ;  and 
Sansovino's  remains  were  removed  (Murray's  Northern  Italy,  1853, 
303).] 

2  "These  horses"  (says  Lassels,  ii.  p.  405)  "came  out  of  the 
shop,  not  out  of  the  stable,  of  Lisippus  a  famous  statuari/  in  Greece, 
and  were  given  to  Nero  by  Tiridates  King  of  Armenia," 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  291 


most  excellent*  mosaic ;  but  what  most  persons 
admire  is  the  new  work  of  the  emblematic  tree 
at  the  other  passage  out  of  the  church.  In  the 
midst  of  this  rich  volto  rise  five  cupolas,  the  middle 
very  large  and  sustained  by  thirty -six  marble 
columns,  eight  of  which  are  of  precious  marbles  : 
under  these  cupolas  is  the  high  altar,  on  which  is  a 
reliquary  of  several  sorts  of  jewels,  engraven  with 
figures,  after  the  Greek  manner,  and  set  together 
with  plates  of  pure  gold.  The  altar  is  covered 
with  a  canopy  of  ophite,  on  which  is  sculptured 
the  story  of  the  Bible,  and  so  on  the  pillars,  which 
are  of  Parian  marble,  that  support  it.  Behind 
these,  are  four  other  columns  of  transparent  and 
true  oriental  alabaster,  brought  hither  out  of  the 
mines  of  Solomon's  Temple,  as  they  report.  There 
are  many  chapels  and  notable  monuments  of 
illustrious  persons,  dukes,  cardinals,  etc.,  as  Zeno, 
J.  Soranzi,  and  others  :  there  is  likewise  a  vast 
baptistery,  of  copper.  Among  other  venerable 
relics  is  a  stone,  on  which  they  say  our  blessed 
Lord  stood  preaching  to  those  of  Tyre  and  Sidon, 
and  near  the  door  is  an  image  of  Christ,  much 
adorned,  esteeming  it  very  sacred,  for  that  a  rude 
fellow  striking  it,  they  say,  there  gushed  out  a 
torrent  of  blood.  In  one  of  the  corners  lies  the 
body  of  St.  Isidoro,  brought  hither  500  years  since 
from  the  island  of  Chios.  A  little  farther,  they 
show  the  picture  of  St.  Dominic  and  Francis, 
affirmed  to  have  been  made  by  the  Abbot  Joachim 
(many  years  before  any  of  them  were  born).  Going 
out  of  the  Church,  they  showed  us  the  stone  where 
Alexander  III.  trod  on  the  neck  of  the  Emperor 
Frederick  Barbarossa,  pronouncing  that  verse  of  the 
psalm,  ''  supej^  hasiliscumj'  etc.  The  doors  of  the 
church  are  of  massy  copper.  There  are  near  500 
pillars  in  this  building,  most  of  them  porph)^^  and 
serpentine,  and  brought  chiefly  from  Athens,  and 


292  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

other  parts  of  Greece,  formerly  in  their  power.  At 
the  corner  of  the  Church,  are  inserted  into  the 
main  wall  four  figures,  as  big  as  life,  cut  in  porphyry  ; 
which  they  say  are  the  images  of  four  brothers 
who  poisoned  one  another,  by  which  means  were 
escheated  to  the  Republic  that  vast  treasury  of 
relics  now  belonging  to  the  Church.^  At  the  other 
entrance  that  looks  towards  the  sea,  stands  in  a 
small  chapel  that  statue  of  our  Lady,  made  (as  they 
affirm)  of  the  same  stone,  or  rock,  out  of  which 
Moses  brought  water  to  the  murmuring  Israehtes 
at  Horeb,  or  Meribah. 

After  all  that  is  said,  this  church  is,  in  my 
opinion,  much  too  dark  and  dismal,  and  of  heavy 
work,  the  fabric, — as  is  much  of  Venice,  both  for 
buildings  and  other  fashions  and  circumstances, — 
after  the  Greeks,  their  next  neighbours. 

The  next  day,  by  favour  of  the  French  am- 
bassador, I  had  admittance  with  him  to  view  the 
Reliquary,  called  here  Tesoro  di  San  Marco,  which 
very  few,  even  of  travellers,  are  admitted  to  see. 
It  is  a  large  chamber  full  of  presses.  There  are 
twelve  breast  -  plates  or  pieces  of  pure  golden 
armour,  studded  with  precious  stones,  and  as  many 
crowns  dedicated  to  St.  Mark,  by  so  many  noble 
Venetians,  who  had  recovered  their  wives  taken 
at  sea  by  the  Saracens  :  many  curious  vases  of 
agates ;  the  cap,  or  coronet,  of  the  Duke  of 
Venice,  one  of  which  had  a  ruby  set  on  it, 
esteemed  worth  200,000  crowns ;  two  unicorns' 
horns  ;  numerous  vases  and  dishes  of  agate,  set 
thick  with  precious  stones  and  vast  pearls ;  divers 

1  [Lassels  calls  them  (ii.  p.  40i})  ^'  four  marchants  and  strangers, 
who  afterwards  poysoning  one  another,  out  of  covetousness,  left 
this  State  heire  of  all."  Coryat,  who  speaks  of  them  in  16O8  as 
"foure  Noble  Gentlemen  of  Albania  that  were  brothers,"  also 
tells  the  stoiy,  to  which  his  attention  was  directed  by  Sir  Henry 
Wotton  {Crudities,  1776,  i.  pp.  239-41).] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  293 


heads  of  Saints,  enchased  in  gold  ;  a  small  ampulla, 
or  glass,  with  our  Saviour's  blood  ;  a  great  morsel 
of  the  real  cross  ;  one  of  the  nails  ;  a  thorn  ;  a 
fragment  of  the  column  to  which  our  Lord  was 
bound,  when  scourged ;  the  standard,  or  ensign,  of 
Constantine ;  a  piece  of  St.  Luke's  arm  ;  a  rib  of 
St.  Stephen  ;  a  finger  of  Mary  Magdalen  ;  numerous 
other  things,  which  I  could  not  remember.  But  a 
priest,  first  vesting  himself  in  his  sacerdotals,  with 
the  stole  about  his  neck,  showed  us  the  gospel  of 
St.  Mark  (their  tutelar  patron)  written  by  his 
own  hand,  and  whose  body  they  show  buried  in 
the  church,  brought  hither  from  Alexandria  many 
years  ago. 

The  Religious  of  the  Servi  have  fine  paintings 
of  Paolo  Veronese,  especially  the  Magdalen. 

A  French  gentleman  and  myself  went  to  the 
Courts  of  Justice,  the  Senate- house,  and  Ducal 
Palace.  The  first  court  near  this  church  is  almost 
wholly  built  of  several  coloured  sorts  of  marble, 
like  chequer- work  on  the  outside  ;  this  is  sustained 
by  vast  pillars,  not  very  shapely,  but  observable  for 
their  capitals,  and  that  out  of  thirty-three  no  two 
are  alike.  Under  this  fabric  is  the  cloister  where 
merchants  meet  morning  and  evening,  as  also  the 
grave  senators  and  gentlemen,  to  confer  of  state- 
affairs,  in  their  gowns  and  caps,  like  so  many 
philosophers  ;  it  is  a  very  noble  and  solemn  spectacle. 
In  another  quadrangle,  stood  two  square  columns 
of  white  marble,  carved,  which  they  said  had  been 
erected  to  hang  one  of  their  Dukes  on,  who  de- 
signed to  make  himself  Sovereign.  Going  through 
a  stately  arch,  there  were  standing  in  niches  divers 
statues  of  great  value,  amongst  which  is  the  so 
celebrated  Eve,  esteemed  worth  its  weight  in  gold  ; 
it  is  just  opposite  to  the  stairs  where  are  two 
Colossuses  of  Mars  and  Neptune,  by  Sansovino. 
We  went  up   into  a  corridor   built  with   several 


294  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

Tribunals  and  Courts  of  Justice ;  and  by  a  well- 
contrived  staircase  were  landed  in  the  Senate-hall, 
which  appears  to  be  one  of  the  most  noble 
and  spacious  rooms  in  Europe,  being  seventy-six 
paces  long,  and  thirty-two  in  breadth.  At  the 
upper  end,  are  the  Tribunals  of  the  Doge,  Council 
of  Ten,  and  Assistants  :  in  the  body  of  the  hall,  are 
lower  ranks  of  seats,  capable  of  containing  1500 
Senators ;  for  they  consist  of  no  fewer  on  grand 
debates.  Over  the  Duke's  throne  are  the  paintings 
of  the  "Final  Judgment,"  by  Tintoret,  esteemed 
among  the  best  pieces  in  Europe.  On  the  roof  are 
the  famous  Acts  of  the  Republic,  painted  by  several 
excellent  masters,  especially  Bassano ;  next  them, 
are  the  effigies  of  the  several  Dukes,  with  their 
Eulogies.  Then,  we  turned  into  a  great  Court 
painted  with  the  Battle  of  Lepanto,  an  excellent 
piece  ;  ^  afterwards,  into  the  Chamber  of  the  Council 
of  Ten,  painted  by  the  most  celebrated  masters. 
From  hence,  by  the  special  favour  of  an  Illustrissimo, 
we  were  carried  to  see  the  private  Armoury  of  the 
Palace,  and  so  to  the  same  court  we  first  entered, 
nobly  built  of  pohshed  white  marble,  part  of  which 
is  the  Duke's  Court,  pro  tempore  ;  there  are  two 
wells  adorned  with  excellent  work,  in  copper.  This 
led  us  to  the  seaside,  where  stand  those  columns  of 
ophite-stone^  in  the  entire  piece,  of  a  great  height, 
one  bearing  St.  INlark's  Lion,  the  other  St.  Theo- 
dorus ;  these  pillars  were  brought  from  Greece, 
and  set  up  by  Nicholas  Baraterius,  the  architect ; 
between  them  public  executions  are  performed. 
Having  fed  our  eyes  with  the  noble  prospect  of 

^  ["  Vicentino's  commemorative  painting  still  decorates  the 
Hall  of  Scrutiny  in  Venice  ;  but  the  more  celebrated  picture  of 
Tintoretto  has  mysteriously  disappeared "  (Fitzmaurice-Kelly's 
Life  of  Miguel  de  Cervantes  Saavedra,  189^,  p.  .'>2).  According  to 
Mrs.  Charles  Roundell's  Ham  House,  its  Historij  and  Treasures, 
1904,  i.  25,  Tintoretto's  picture  is  in  the  Ham  House  galleiy. 
See  arite,  p.  206.]  ^  [Murray  says  "granite."] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  295 

the  Island  of  St.  George,  the  galleys,  gondolas, 
and  other  vessels  passing  to  and  fro,  we  walked 
under  the  cloister  on  the  other  side  of  this  goodly 
piazza,  being  a  most  magnificent  building,  the 
design  of  Sansovino.  Here  we  went  into  the 
Zecca,  or  Mint ;  at  the  entrance,  stand  two  pro- 
digious giants,  or  Hercules,  of  white  marble :  we 
saw  them  melt,  beat,  and  coin  silver,  gold,  and 
copper.  We  then  went  up  into  the  Procuratory, 
and  a  library  of  excellent  MSS.  and  books  belonging 
to  it  and  the  public.  After  this,  we  climbed  up 
the  tower  of  St.  Mark,  which  we  might  have  done 
on  horseback,  as  it  is  said  one  of  the  French  Kings 
did  ;  there  being  no  stairs,  or  steps,  but  returns 
that  take  up  an  entire  square  on  the  arches  forty 
feet,  broad  enough  for  a  coach.  This  steeple 
stands  by  itself,  without  any  church  near  it,  and  is 
rather  a  watch-tower  in  the  corner  of  the  great 
piazza,  230  feet  in  height,  the  foundation  exceeding 
deep  ;  on  the  top,  is  an  angel,  that  turns  with  the 
wind ;  and  from  hence  is  a  prospect  down  the 
Adriatic,  as  far  as  Istria  and  the  Dalmatian  side, 
with  the  surprising  sight  of  this  miraculous  city, 
lying  in  the  bosom  of  the  sea,  in  the  shape  of  a 
lute,  the  numberless  Islands  tacked  together  by  no 
fewer  than  450  bridges.  At  the  foot  of  this  tower, 
is  a  pubhc  tribunal  of  excellent  work,  in  white 
marble  polished,  adorned  with  several  brass  statues 
and  figures  of  stone  and  mezzo-rilievo,  the  per- 
formance of  some  rare  artist. 

It  was  now  Ascension-week,  and  the  great 
mart,  or  fair,  of  the  whole  year  was  kept,  every- 
body at  liberty  and  jolly ;  the  noblemen  stalking 
with   their   ladies  on  choppines}     Tliese  are  high- 

^  [The  chopine  was  a  stilt -like  clog,  sometimes  eighteen 
inches  high,  worn  by  the  ladies  of  Spain  and  Italy.  There  is 
a  long  account  of  "Chapineys"  (as  he  calls  them)  in  Coryat 
(Crudities,  1776,  ii.  p.  36).     Shakespeare  refers  to  them  in  Hamlet, 


296  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

heeled  shoes,  particularly  affected  by  these  proud 
dames,  or,  as  some  say,  invented  to  keep  them  at 
home,  it  being  very  difficult  to  walk  with  them  ; 
whence,  one  behig  asked  how  he  liked  the  Venetian 
dames,  replied,  they  were  mezzo  came,  mezzo  legno, 
half  flesh,  half  wood,  and  he  would  have  none  of 
them.  The  truth  is,  their  garb  is  very  odd,  as 
seeming  always  in  masquerade ;  their  other  habits 
also  totally  different  from  all  nations.  They  wear 
very  long  crisp  hair,  of  several  streaks  and  colours, 
which  they  make  so  by  a  wash,  dishevelling  it  on 
the  brims  of  a  broad  hat  that  has  no  crown,  but  a 
hole  to  put  out  their  heads  by  ;  they  dry  them  in 
the  sun,  as  one  may  see  them  at  their  windows. 
In  their  tire,  they  set  silk  flowers  and  sparkling 
stones,  their  petticoats  coming  from  their  very 
arm-pits,  so  that  they  are  near  three-quarters  and 
a  half  apron ;  their  sleeves  are  made  exceeding 
wide,  under  which  their  shift-sleeves  as  wide,  and 
commonly  tucked  up  to  the  shoulder,  showing 
their  naked  arms,  through  false  sleeves  of  tiffany, 
girt  with  a  bracelet  or  two,  with  knots  of  point 
richly  tagged  about  their  shoulders  and  other 
places  of  their  body,  which  they  usually  cover  with 
a  kind  of  yellow  veil,  of  lawn,  very  transparent. 
Thus  attired,  they  set  their  hands  on  the  heads 
of  two  matron-like  servants,  or  old  women,  to 
support  them,  who  are  mumbling  their  beads.  It 
is  ridiculous  to  see  how  these  ladies  crawl  in  and 
out  of  their  gondolas,  by  reason  of  their  choppines ; 
and  what  dwarfs  they  appear,  when  taken  down 
from  their  wooden  scaffolds ;  of  these  I  saw  near 
thirty  together,  stalking  half  as  high  again  as  the 
rest  of  the  world.  For  courtesans,  or  the  citizens, 
may  not  wear  choppines,  but  cover  their  bodies  and 

Act  II.  Sc.  ii.  "Your  Ladyship  is  nearer  to  Heaven  than  when 
I  saw  you  last^  by  the  altitude  of  a  chopine,"  says  the  Prince  to 
the  boy  who  took  the  female  part  in  the  Murder  of  Gon::ago.] 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  297 


faces  with  a  veil  of  a  certain  glittering  taffeta,  or 
lustree,  out  of  which  they  now  and  then  dart  a 
glance  of  their  eye,  the  whole  face  being  otherwise 
entirely  hid  with  it :  nor  may  the  common  misses 
take  this  habit ;  but  go  abroad  barefaced.  To  the 
corner  of  these  virgin-veils  hang  broad  but  flat 
tassels  of  curious  point  de  Venise,  The  married 
women  go  in  black  veils.  The  nobility  wear  the 
same  colour,  but  a  fine  cloth  lined  with  taffeta,  in 
summer,  with  fur  of  the  bellies  of  squirrels,  in  the 
winter,  which  all  put  on  at  a  certain  day,  girt  with 
a  girdle  embossed  with  silver ;  the  vest  not  much 
different  from  what  our  Bachelors  of  Arts  wear  in 
Oxford,  and  a  hood  of  cloth,  made  like  a  sack,  cast 
over  their  left  shoulder,  and  a  round  cloth  black 
cap  fringed  with  wool,  which  is  not  so  comely ; 
they  also  wear  their  collar  open,  to  show  the 
diamond  button  of  the  stock  of  their  shirt.  I  have 
never  seen  pearl  for  colour  and  bigness  comparable 
to  what  the  ladies  wear,  most  of  the  noble  families 
being  very  rich  in  jewels,  especially  pearls,  which 
are  always  left  to  the  son,  or  brother  who  is 
destined  to  marry ;  which  the  eldest  seldom  do. 
The  Doge's  vest  is  of  crimson  velvet,  the  Pro- 
curator's, etc.,  of  damask,  very  stately.  Nor  was 
I  less  surprised  with  the  strange  variety  of  the 
several  nations  seen  every  day  in  the  streets  and 
piazzas ;  Jews,  Turks,  Armenians,  Persians,  Moors, 
Greeks,  Sclavonians,  some  with  their  targets  and 
bucklers,  and  all  in  their  native  fashions,  negotiating 
in  this  famous  emporium,  which  is  always  crowded 
with  strangers. 

This  night,  having  with  my  Lord  Bruce  ^  taken 
our  places  before,  we  went   to   the  Opera,  where 

^  Thomas  Bruce,  first  Earl  of  Elgin,  in  Scotland ;  created  by 
Charles  I.  on  the  13th  July,  1640,  Baron  Bruce,  of  Whorlton, 
Yorkshire,  in  the  English  peerage.  He  died  in  l663  (see 
post,  under  14th  February,  l655,  and  9th  January,  l684). 


298  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

comedies  and  other  plays  are  represented  in  recita- 
tive music,  by  the  most  excellent  musicians,  vocal 
and  instrumental,  with  variety  of  scenes  painted 
and  contrived  with  no  less  art  of  perspective,  and 
machines  for  flying  in  the  air,  and  other  wonderful 
notions ;  taken  together,  it  is  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  and  expensive  diversions  the  wit  of 
man  can  invent.  The  history  was  Hercules  in 
Lydia ;  the  scenes  changed  thirteen  times.  The 
famous  voices,  Anna  Rencia,  a  Roman,  and  reputed 
the  best  treble  of  women  ;  but  there  was  an  eunuch 
who,  in  my  opinion,  surpassed  her ;  also  a  Genoese 
that  sung  an  incomparable  bass.  This  held  us  by 
the  eyes  and  ears  till  two  in  the  morning,  when  we 
went  to  the  Chetto  de  San  Fehce,  to  see  the 
noblemen  and  their  ladies  at  basset,  a  game  at 
cards  which  is  much  used  ;  but  they  play  not  in 
public,  and  all  that  have  inclination  to  it  are  in 
masquerade,  without  speaking  one  word,  and  so 
they  come  in,  play,  lose  or  gain,  and  go  away  as 
they  please.  This  time  of  license  is  only  in 
Carnival  and  this  Ascension-Week ;  neither  are 
their  theatres  open  for  that  other  magnificence,  or 
for  ordinary  comedians,  save  on  these  solemnities, 
they  being  a  frugal  and  wise  people,  and  exact 
observers  of  all  sumptuary  laws. 

There  being  at  this  time  a  ship  bound  for  the 
Holy  Land,  I  had  resolved  to  embark,  intending  to 
see  Jerusalem,  and  other  parts  of  Syria,  Egypt,  and 
Turkey ;  but  after  I  had  provided  all  necessaries, 
laid  in  snow  to  cool  our  drink,  bought  some  sheep, 
poultry,  biscuit,  spirits,  and  a  little  cabinet  of 
drugs,  in  case  of  sickness,  our  vessel  (whereof 
Captain  Powell  was  master)  happened  to  be  pressed 
for  the  service  of  the  State,  to  carry  provisions  to 
Candia,  now  newly  attacked  by  the  Turks ;  which 
altogether  frustrated  my  design,  to  my  great 
mortification. 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  299 

On  the  .  .  .  June,  we  went  to  Padua,  to  the 
fair  of  their  St.  Anthony,  in  company  of  divers 
passengers.  The  first  t(Tra  jirma  we  landed  at 
was  Fusina,  being  only  an  inn  where  we  changed 
our  barge,  and  were  then  drawn  up  by  horses 
through  the  river  Erenta,  a  straight  channel  as 
even  as  a  line  for  twenty  miles,  the  country  on 
both  sides  deliciously  adorned  with  country  villas 
and  gentlemen's  retirements,  gardens  planted  with 
oranges,  figs,  and  other  fruit,  belonging  to  the 
Venetians.  At  one  of  these  villas  we  went  ashore 
to  see  a  pretty  contrived  palace.  Observable  in 
this  passage  was  buying  their  water  of  those  who 
farm  the  sluices ;  for  this  artificial  river  is  in  some 
places  so  shallow,  that  reserves  of  water  are  kept 
with  sluices,  wliich  they  open  and  shut  with  a  most 
ingenious  invention,  or  engine,  governed  even  by  a 
child.  Thus  they  keep  up  the  water,  or  let  it  go 
till  the  next  channel  be  either  filled  by  the  stop,  or 
abated  to  the  level  of  the  other ;  for  which  every 
boat  pays  a  certain  duty.  Thus,  we  stayed  near 
half  an  hour  and  more,  at  three  several  places,  so 
as  it  was  evening  before  we  got  to  Padua.  This 
is  a  very  ancient  city,  if  the  tradition  of  Antenor's 
being  the  founder  be  not  a  fiction  ;  but  thus  speaks 
the  inscription  over  a  stately  gate  : 

Hanc  antiquissimaiii  urbem  literarum  omnium  asylum, 
cujus  agruin  fertilitatis  Lumen  Natura  esse  voluit,  Antenor 
condidit,  an'o  ante  Christum  natum  M.Cxviii ;  Senatus 
autem  Venetus  his  belli  propugnaculis  ornavit. 

The  town  stands  on  the  river  Pad  us,  whence  its 
name,  and  is  generally  built  like  Bologna,  on  arches 
and  on  brick,  so  that  one  may  walk  all  round  it, 
dry,  and  in  the  shade ;  which  is  very  convenient  in 
these  hot  countries,  and  I  think  I  was  never 
sensible  of  so  burning  a  heat  as  I  was  this  season, 
especially  the  next  day,  which  was  that  of  the  fair. 


300  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

filled  with  noble  Venetians,  by  reason  of  a  great 
and  solemn  procession  to  their  famous  cathedral. 
Passing  by  St.  Lorenzo,  I  met  with  this  subscrip- 
tion : 

Inclytus  Antenor  patriam  vox  nisa  quietem  ^ 
Transtulit  hue  Henetum  Dardanidumq  ;  fuga, 

Expulit  Euganeos,  Patavinam  condidit  urbem, 
Quern  tegit  hie  humili  marmore  caesa  domus. 

Under  the  tomb,  was  a  cobbler  at  his  work. 
Being  now  come  to  St.  Anthony's  (the  street  most 
of  the  way  straight,  well-built,  and  outside  ex- 
cellently painted  in  fresco)  we  surveyed  the 
spacious  piazza,  in  which  is  erected  a  noble  statue 
of  copper  of  a  man  on  horseback,  in  memory 
of  one  Gattamelata,^  a  renowned  captain.  The 
church,  a  la  Greca,  consists  of  five  handsome 
cupolas,  leaded.  At  the  left  hand  within  is  the 
tomb  of  St.  Anthony  and  his  altar,  about  which  a 
mezzo-rilievo  of  the  miracles  ascribed  to  him  is 
exquisitely  wrought  in  white  marble  by  the  three 
famous  sculptors,  Tullius  Lombardus,  Jacobus 
Sansovinus,  and  Hieronymus  Compagno.  A  little 
higher  is  the  choir,  walled  parapet-fashion,  with 
sundry  coloured  stone,  half  lilievo,  the  work  of 
Andrea  Reccio.  The  altar  within  is  of  the  same 
metal,  which,  with  the  candlestick  and  bases,  is,  in 
my  opinion,  as  magnificent  as  any  in  Italy.  The 
wainscot  of  the  choir  is  rarely  inlaid  and  carved. 
Here  are  the  sepulchres  of  many  famous  persons, 
as  of  Rodolphus  Fulgosi,  etc.  ;  and,  among  the 
rest,  one  for  an  exploit  at  sea,  has  a  galley  ex- 
quisitely carved  thereon.     The  procession  bore  the 

1  Keysler  very  justly  observes  (Travch,  1760,  iii.  p.  S99),  that 
tlie  first  line  of  this  inscription  eonveys  no  meaning. 

2  Lassels  (ii.  p.  429)  calls  him  Gatta  Mela,  the  Venetian 
General,  nicknamed  Gatta  [cat],  because  of  his  watchfulness. 
His  tomb  was  in  St.  Anthony's  church,  and  his  armour,  with  a 
cat  in  his  headpiece,  in  the  Arsenal. 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  301 

banners  with  all  the  treasure  of  the  cloister,  which 
was  a  very  fine  sight. 

Hence,  walking  over  the  Prato  delle  Valle,  I 
went  to  see  the  convent  of  St.  Justina,  than  which 
I  never  beheld  one  more  magnificent.  The  church 
is  an  excellent  piece  of  architecture,  of  Andrea 
Palladio,  richly  paved,  with  a  stately  cupola  that 
covers  the  high  altar  enshrining  the  ashes  of  that 
saint.  It  is  oi pietra-commessa,^  consisting  of  flowers 
very  naturally  done.  The  choir  is  inlaid  with 
several  sorts  of  wood  representing  the  holy  history, 
finished  with  exceeding  industry.^  At  the  far  end, 
is  that  rare  painting  of  St.  Justina's  Martyrdom,  by 
Paolo  Veronese ;  and  a  stone  on  which  they  told 
us  divers  primitive  Christians  had  been  decapitated. 
In  another  place  (to  which  leads  a  small  cloister 
well  painted)  is  a  dry  well,  covered  with  a  brass- 
work  grate,  wherein  are  the  bones  of  divers  martyrs. 
They  show  also  the  bones  of  St.  Luke,  in  an  old 
alabaster  coffin  ;  three  of  the  Holy  Innocents  ;  and 
the  bodies  of  St.  Maximus  and  Prosdocimus.^  The 
dormitory  above  is  exceedingly  commodious  and 
stately  ;  but  what  most  pleased  me,  was  the  old 
cloister  so  well  painted  with  the  legendary  saints, 
mingled  with  many  ancient  inscriptions,  and  pieces 
of  urns  dug  up,  it  seems,  at  the  foundation  of  the 
church.  Thus,  having  spent  the  day  in  rambles,  I 
returned  the  next  day  to  Venice. 

The  arsenal  is  thought  to  be  one  of  the  best- 
furnished  in  the  world.  We  entered  by  a  strong 
port,  always  guarded,  and,  ascending  a  spacious 
gallery,  saw  arms  of  back,  breast,  and  head,  for 
many  thousands ;    in   another   were    saddles,   over 

^  [See  ante,  p.  142.] 

2  Cf.  account  of  St.  Dominic's  {ante,  p.  280)  and  St.  Michael 
in  Bosco  {ante,  p.  282)  at  Bologna.] 

2  St.  Peter's  disciple,  first  Bishop  of  Padua  (Lassels,  ii.  p. 
430). 


302  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

them,  ensigns  taken  from  the  Turks.  Another 
hall  is  for  the  meeting  of  the  Senate  ;  passing  a 
grafF,  are  the  smiths'  forges,  where  they  are  con- 
tinually employed  on  anchors  and  iron  work.  Near 
it  is  a  well  of  fresh  water,  which  they  impute  to  two 
rhinoceros's  horns  which  they  say  lie  in  it,  and  will 
preserve  it  from  ever  being  empoisoned.  Then  we 
came  to  where  the  carpenters  were  building  their 
magazines  of  oars,  masts,  etc.,  for  an  hundred 
galleys  and  ships,  which  have  all  their  apparel  and 
furniture  near  them.  Then  the  foundry,  where 
they  cast  ordnance  ;  the  forge  is  450  paces  long,  and 
one  of  them  has  thirteen  furnaces.  There  is  one 
cannon,  weighing  16,573  lbs.,  cast  whilst  Henry 
the  Third  dined,  and  put  into  a  galley  built,  rigged, 
and  fitted  for  launching  within  that  time.  They 
have  also  arms  for  twelve  galeasses,  which  are 
vessels  to  row,  of  almost  150  feet  long,  and  thirty 
wide,  not  counting  prow  or  poop,  and  contain 
twenty-eight  banks  of  oars,  each  seven  men,  and  to 
carry  1300  men,  with  three  masts.  In  another,  a 
magazine  for  fifty  galleys,  and  place  for  some 
hundreds  more.  Here  stands  the  Eucentaur,^  with 
a  most  ample  deck,  and  so  contrived  that  the  slaves 
are  not  seen,  having  on  the  poop  a  throne  for  the 
Doge  to  sit,  when  he  goes  in  triumph  to  espouse 
the  Adriatic.  Here  is  also  a  gallery  of  200  yards 
long  for  cables,  and  above  that  a  magazine  of  hemp. 
Opposite  these,  are  the  saltpetre  houses,  and  a  large 
row  of  cells,  or  houses,  to  protect  their  galleys  from 
the  weather.  Over  the  gate,  as  we  go  out,  is  a 
room  full  of  great  and  small  guns,  some  of  which 
discharge  six  times  at  once.^  Then,  there  is  a 
court  full  of  cannon,  bullets,  chains,  grapples, 
grenadoes,   etc.,   and  over  that   arms  for   800,000 

1  [See  ante,  p.  287.] 

2  [Lassels  speaks  of  a  cannon  "  shooting  threescore  shotts  in 
ten  barrels  "  (ii.  p.  398).] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  303 

men,  and  by  themselves  arms  for  400,  taken  from 
some  that  were  in  a  plot  against  the  State  ;  together 
with  weapons  of  offence  and  defence  for  sixty-two 
ships ;  thirty-two  pieces  of  ordnance,  on  carriages 
taken  from  the  Turks,  and  one  prodigious  mortar- 
piece.  In  a  word,  it  is  not  to  be  reckoned  up  what 
this  large  place  contains  of  this  sort.  There  were 
now  twenty-three  galleys,  and  four  galley -grossi,  of 
100  oars  of  a  side.  The  whole  arsenal  is  walled 
about,  and  may  be  in  compass  about  three  miles, 
with  twelve  towers  for  the  watch,  besides  that  the 
sea  environs  it.  The  workmen,  who  are  ordinarily 
500,  march  out  in  military  order,  and  every  evening 
receive  their  pay  through  a  small  hole  in  the  gate 
where  the  governor  lives. 

The  next  day,  I  saw  a  wretch  executed,  who 
had  murdered  his  master,  for  which  he  had  his 
head  chopped  off  by  an  axe  that  slid  down  a  frame 
of  timber,^  between  the  two  tall  columns  in  St. 
Mark's  piazza,  at  the  sea-brink ;  ^  the  executioner 
striking  on  the  axe  with  a  beetle ;  and  so  the  head 
fell  off  the  block. 

Hence,  by  Gudala,  we  went  to  see  Grimani's 
Palace,  the  portico  whereof  is  excellent  work. 
Indeed,  the  world  cannot  show  a  city  of  more 
stately  buildings,^  considering  the  extent  of  it,  all 
of  square  stone,  and  as  chargeable  in  their  founda- 
tions as  superstructure,  being  all  built  on  piles  at 
an  immense  cost.  We  returned  home  by  the 
church  of  SS.  Giovanni  e  Paolo,  before  which  is, 
in  copper,  the  statue  of  Bartolommeo  Colleoni,  on 
horseback,  double  gilt,  on  a  stately  pedestal,  the 

1  The  maiden  at  Halifax,  in  Yorkshire,  and  the  guillotine  in 
France,  were  constructed  after  the  same  manner. 

2  [See  ante,  p.  294^.] 

^  ["The  best  are,  of  Jiistiniani,  Mocenigo,  Grimani,  Pnuli, 
Contarini,  Foscoli,  Loredano,  Gussoni,  and  Cornaro "  (Lassels,  ii. 
p.  425).] 


304  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

work  of  Andrea  V^errochio,  a  Florentine  !  This  is 
a  very  fine  church,  and  has  in  it  many  rare  altar- 
pieces  of  the  best  masters,  especially  that  on  the 
left  hand,  of  the  Two  Friars  slain,  ^  which  is  of 
Titian. 

The  day  after,  being  Sunday,  I  went  over  to  St. 
George's  to  the  ceremony  of  the  schismatic  Greeks, 
who  are  permitted  to  have  their  church,  though 
they  are  at  defiance  with  Rome.  They  allow  no 
carved  images,  but  many  painted,  especially  the 
story  of  their  patron  and  his  dragon.  Their  rites 
differ  not  much  from  the  Latins,  save  that  of  com- 
municating in  both  species,  and  distribution  of  the 
holy  bread.  We  afterwards  fell  into  a  dispute 
with  a  Candiot,  concerning  the  procession  of  the 
Holy  Ghost.     The  church  is  a  noble  fabric. 

The  church  of  St.  Zachary  is  a  Greek  building, 
by  Leo  IV.,  Emperor,  and  has  in  it  the  bones  of 
that  prophet,  with  divers  other  saints.  Near  this, 
we  visited  St.  Luke's,  famous  for  the  tomb  of 
Aretin.^ 

Tuesday,  we  visited  several  other  churches,  as 
Santa  Maria,  newly  incrusted  with  marble  on  the 
outside,  and  adorned  with  porphyry,  ophite,  and 
Spartan  stone.  Near  the  altar  and  under  the 
organ,  are  sculptures,  that  are  said  to  be  of  the 
famous  artist,  Praxiteles.  To  that  of  St.  Paul  I 
went  purposely,  to  see  the  tomb  of  Titian.  Then 
to  St.  John  the  Evangelist,  where,  amongst  other 
heroes,  lies  Andrea  Baldarius,  the  inventor  of  oars 
applied  to  great  vessels  for  fighting. 

We  also  saw  St.  Roche,  the  roof  whereof  is, 
with  the  school,  or  hall,  of  that  rich  confraternity, 
admirably  painted  by  Tintoretto,  especially  the 
Crucifix  in  the  sacristia.  We  saw  also  the  church 
of  St.  Sebastian,  and  Carmelites'  monastery. 

1  [St.  John  and  St.  Paul.] 
2  [The  ItaUan  satmst  Peter  Aretino,  1492-1557.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  305 

Next  day,  taking  our  gondola  at  St.  Mark's,  I 
passed  to  the  island  of  S.  Georgio  Maggiore,  where 
is  a  Convent  of  Benedictines,  and  a  well-built 
church  of  Andrea  Palladio,  the  great  architect. 
The  pavement,  cupola,  choir,  and  pictures,  very 
rich  and  sumptuous.  The  cloister  has  a  fine  garden 
to  it,  which  is  a  rare  thing  at  Venice,  though  this 
is  an  island  a  little  distant  from  the  city ;  it  has 
also  an  olive  orchard,  all  environed  by  the  sea. 
The  new  cloister  now  building  has  a  noble  staircase 
paved  with  white  and  black  marble. 

From  hence,  we  visited  St.  Spirito,  and  St. 
Laurence,  fair  churches  in  several  islands ;  but 
most  remarkable  is  that  of  the  Padri  Olivetani, 
in  St.  Helen's  island,  for  the  rare  paintings  and 
carvings,  with  inlaid  work,  etc. 

The  next  morning,  we  went  again  to  Padua, 
where,  on  the  following  day,  we  visited  the 
market,  which  is  plentifully  furnished,  and  ex- 
ceedingly cheap.  Here  we  saw  the  great  hall,^ 
built  in  a  spacious  piazza,  and  one  of  the  most 
magnificent  in  Europe ;  its  ascent  is  by  steps  a 
good  height,  of  a  reddish  marble  polished,  much 
used  in  these  parts,  and  happily  found  not  far  off; 
it  is  almost  200  paces  long,  and  forty  in  breadth, 
all  covered  with  lead,  without  any  support  of 
columns.  At  the  farther  end,  stands  the  bust, 
in  white  marble,  of  Titus  Livius,  the  historian. 
In  this  town  is  the  house  wherein  he  was  born, 
full  of  inscriptions,  and  pretty  fair. 

Near  to  the  monument  of  Sperone  Speroni,^  is 
painted  on  the  ceiling  the  celestial  zodiac,  and 
other  astronomical  figures ;  withoutside,  there  is 
a  corridor,  in  manner  of  a  balcony,  of  the  same 
stone ;  and  at  the  entry  of  each  of  the  three  gates 

1  [II  Palazzo  di  Ragione  (Lassels).] 

-  [Sperone  Speroni,  1500-88,  like  Livy,  was  a  famous  Paduan 
author.] 

VOL.  I  X 


306  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

is  the  head  of  some  famous  person,  as  Albert 
Eremitano,  Julio  Paullo  (lawyers),  and  Peter 
Aponius.  In  the  piazza  is  the  Podesta's  and 
Capitano  Grande's  Palace,  well  built ;  but,  above 
all,  the  Monte  Pieta,  the  front  whereof  is  of  most 
excellent  architecture.  This  is  a  foundation  of 
which  there  is  one  in  most  of  the  cities  in  Italy, 
where  there  is  a  continual  bank  of  money  to  assist 
the  poorer  sort,  on  any  pawn,  and  at  reasonable 
interest,  together  with  magazines  for  deposit  of 
goods,  till  redeemed. 

Hence,  to  the  Schools  of  this  flourishing  and 
ancient  University,  especially  for  the  study  of 
physic  and  anatomy.  They  are  fairly  built  in 
quadrangle,  with  cloisters  beneath,  and  above 
with  columns.  Over  the  great  gate  are  the 
arms  of  the  Venetian  State,  and  under,  the  lion 
of  St.  Mark. 

Sic  ingredere,  ut  teipso  quotidie  doctior ;  sic  egredere  ut 
indies  Patriae  Christianaeq  ;  Reipublicae  utilior  evadas ;  ita 
demum  Gymnasium  a  te  feliciter  se  omatum  existimabit. 

CIO. IX. 

About  the  court-walls,  are  carved  in  stone  and 
painted  the  blazons  of  the  Consuls  of  all  the 
nations,  that  from  time  to  time  have  had  that 
charge  and  honour  in  the  University,  which  at 
my  being  there  was  my  worthy  friend  Dr.  Rogers, 
who  here  took  that  degree.^ 

The  Schools  for  the  lectures  of  the  several 
sciences  are  above,  but  none  of  them  comparable, 
or  so  much  frequented,  as  the  theatre  for  anatomy, 
which  is  excellently  contrived  both  for  the  dissector 
and  spectators.  I  was  this  day  invited  to  dinner, 
and   in   the   afternoon    (30th   July),    received   my 

^  [Of  Doctor  in  Physic  (see  post,  under  15th  August,  l682). 
It  was  at  Padua  that  Goldsmith  was  supposed  to  have  obtained 
his  somewhat  vague  medical  credentials.] 


^r!',:i^,:'-?A.S<r 


c  Moinad  .  /lauan),  J  "/^  (^  irl  o/ .     iriiiuhl 
after  ylul-iiu). 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  307 

matrieula,  being  resolved  to  spend  some  months 
here  at  study,  especially  physic  and  anatomy,  of 
both  which  there  were  now  the  most  famous 
professors  in  Europe.  My  viatricula  contained  a 
clause,  that  I,  my  goods,  servants,  and  messengers, 
should  be  free  from  all  tolls  and  reprises,  and 
that  we  might  come,  pass,  return,  buy,  or  sell, 
without  any  toll,  etc. 

The  next  morning,  I  saw  the  garden  of  simples, 
rarely  furnished  with  plants,  and  gave  order  to 
the  gardener  to  make  me  a  collection  of  them  for 
an  hortus  hy emails,^  by  permission  of  the  Cavalier 
Dr.  Veslingius,^  then  Prefect  and  Botanic  Pro- 
fessor as  well  as  of  Anatomy. 

This  morning,  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  now  in 
this  city,  a  famous  collector  of  paintings  and  an- 
tiquities,^ invited  me  to  go  with  him  to  see  the 
garden  of  Mantua,  where,  as  one  enters,  stands  a 
huge  coloss  of  Hercules.  From  hence  to  a  place 
where  was  a  room  covered  with  a  noble  cupola, 

^  [The  Hortus  siccus  or  hyemalis  here  described,  is  still  pre- 
served at  VVotton  House  (Bright's  Dorking,  1884,  p.  315).] 

2  John  Vesling,  1598-1649,  was  born  at  Minden,  in  Germany, 
and  became  Professor  of  Anatomy  in  the  University  of  Padua. 
Evelyn  says  that  at  his  visit  he  was  anatomical  and  botanical 
professor,  and  prefect.  He  had  the  care  of  the  botanical 
garden,  and  published  a  catalogue  of  its  plants.  He  wrote  also 
Syntagma  Aiiatomicum,  l641,  and  shortly  afterwards  travelled  into 
Egypt,  where  he  seems  to  have  paid  a  good  deal  of  attention 
to  the  artificial  means  of  hatching  poultry,  then  an  Egyptian 
marvel  (see  dXso  post,  pp.  312  and  315). 

3  [See  ante,  p.  22.  "  He  was  the  first  " — says  Walpole — "who 
professedly  began  to  collect  in  this  country,  and  led  the  way 
to  Prince  Henry,  King  Charles,  and  the  Duke  of  Buckingham  " 
(^Anecdotes  of  Painting,  1762,  ii.  72).  Part  of  the  antiquities  to 
which  Evelyn  refers  were  eventually  secured  by  him  for  the 
University  of  Oxford  in  l667  {sqq  post,  under  19th  September). 
John  Selden  described  the  Arundel  marbles  in  his  Marmora 
Arundelliana,  l628,  afterwards  incorporated  in  H.  Prideaux's 
Marmora  Oxoniensia  ex  Arundellianis  .  .  .  conflata,  l676  (see  post, 
28th  April  in  that  year).] 


308  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

built  purposely  for  music  ;  the  fillings  up,  or  cove, 
betwixt  the  walls,  were  of  urns  and  earthen  pots, 
for  the  better  sounding ;  it  was  also  well  painted. 
After  dinner,  we  walked  to  the  Palace  of  Foscari 
air  Arena,  there  remaining  yet  some  appearances 
of  an  ancient  theatre,  though  serving  now  for  a 
court  only  before  the  house.  There  were  now 
kept  in  it  two  eagles,  a  crane,  a  Mauritanian  sheep, 
a  stag,  and  sundry  fowls,  as  in  a  vivary. 

Three  days  after,  I  returned  to  Venice,  and 
passed  over  to  Murano,  famous  for  the  best  glasses 
in  the  world,  where  having  viewed  their  furnaces, 
and  seen  their  work,  I  made  a  collection  of  divers 
curiosities  and  glasses,  which  I  sent  for  England 
by  long  sea.  It  is  the  white  flints  they  have 
from  Pavia,  which  they  pound  and  sift  exceedingly 
small,  and  mix  with  ashes  made  of  a  sea- weed 
brought  out  of  Syria,  and  a  white  sand,  that 
causes  this  manufacture  to  excel.  The  town  is 
a  Podestaria^  by  itself,  at  some  miles  distant 
on  the  sea  from  Venice,  and  like  it  built  upon 
several  small  islands.  In  this  place,  are  excellent 
oysters,  small  and  well-tasted  like  our  Colchester, 
and  they  were  the  first,  as  I  remember,  that  I 
ever  could  eat ;  for  I  had  naturally  an  aversion  to 
them. 

At  our  return  to  V^enice,  we  met  several 
gondolas  full  of  Venetian  ladies,  who  come  thus 
far  in  fine  weather  to  take  the  air,  with  music  and 
other  refreshments.  Besides  that,  Murano  is  itself 
a  very  nobly  built  town,  and  has  divers  noblemen's 
palaces  in  it,  and  handsome  gardens. 

In  coming  back,  we  saw  the  islands  of  St. 
Christopher  and  St.  Michael,  the  last  of  which 
has  a  church  enriched  and  incrusted  with  marbles 
and  other  architectonic  ornaments,  which  the 
monks  very  courteously  showed  us.     It  was  built 

1  [Burgh,  or  bailiwick.] 


1645  JOHN  EVELYN  309 

and  founded  by  Margaret  Emiliana  of  Verona,  a 
famous  courtesan,  who  purchased  a  great  estate, 
and  by  this  foundation  hoped  to  commute  for 
her  sins.  We  then  rowed  by  the  isles  of  St. 
Nicholas,  whose  church,  with  the  monuments  of 
the  Justinian  family,  entertained  us  awhile:  and 
then  got  home. 

The  next  morning.  Captain  Powell,^  in  whose 
ship  I  was  to  embark  towards  Turkey,  invited  me 
on  board,  lying  about  ten  miles  from  Venice, 
where  we  had  a  dinner  of  English  powdered  beef  ^ 
and  other  good  meat,  with  store  of  wine  and  great 
guns,  as  the  manner  is.  After  dinner,  the  Captain 
presented  me  with  a  stone  he  had  lately  brought 
from  Grand  Cairo,  which  he  took  from  the 
mummy-pits,  full  of  hieroglyphics ;  I  drew  it  on 
paper  with  the  true  dimensions,  and  sent  it  in  a 
letter  to  INIr.  Henshaw  to  communicate  to  Father 
Kircher,  who  was  then  setting  forth  his  great  work 
Obeliscus  Pamphilius^  where  it  is  described,  but 
without  mentioning  my  name.  The  stone  was 
afterwards  brought  for  me  into  England,  and 
landed  at  Wapping,  where,  before  I  could  hear 
of  it,  it  was  broken  into  several  fragments,  and 
utterly  defaced,  to  my  no  small  disappointment. 

The  boatswain  of  the  ship  also  gave  me  a  hand 
and  foot  of  a  mummy,  the  nails  whereof  had  been 
overlaid  with  thin  plates  of  gold,  and  the  whole 
body  was  perfect,  when  he  brought  it  out  of 
Egypt;  but  the  avarice  of  the  ship's  crew  broke 
it  to  pieces,  and  divided  the  body  among  them. 
He  presented  me  also  with  two  Egyptian  idols, 
and  some  loaves  of  the  bread  which  the  Coptics 
use  in  the  holy  Sacrament,  with  other  curiosities. 

1  [See  ante,  p.  298.] 

2  Salted.     Cf.    Prior's  Down  Hall: — ^^She  roasted  red  veal 
and  she  powder  d  lean  beef."] 

3  [See  ante,  p.  189.] 


310  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

8^^  August,  I  had  news  from  Padua  of  my 
election  to  be  Syndicus  Artistaruvi,  which  caused 
me,  after  two  days'  idling  in  a  country  villa  with 
the  Consul  of  Venice,  to  hasten  thither,  that  I 
might  discharge  myself  of  that  honour,  because 
it  was  not  only  chargeable,  but  would  have 
hindered  my  progress,  and  they  chose  a  Dutch 
gentleman  in  my  place,  which  did  not  well  please 
my  countrymen,  who  had  laboured  not  a  little  to 
do  me  the  greatest  honour  a  stranger  is  capable 
of  in  that  University.  Being  freed  from  this 
impediment,  and  having  taken  leave  of  Dr. 
Janicius,  a  Polonian,  who  was  going  physician 
in  the  Venetian  galleys  to  Candia,  I  went  again 
to  Venice,  and  made  a  collection  of  several  books 
and  some  toys.  Three  days  after,  I  returned  to 
Padua,  where  I  studied  hard  till  the  arrival  of 
Mr.  Henshaw,  Bramston,^  and  some  other  English 
gentlemen  whom  I  had  left  at  Rome,  and  who 
made  me  go  back  to  Venice,  where  I  spent  some 
time  in  showing  them  what  I  had  seen  there. 

2Qth  Septenibei\  IMy  dear  friend,  and  till  now  my 
constant  fellow-traveller,  Mr.  Thicknesse,  being 
obliged  to  return  to  England  upon  his  particular 
concern,  and  who  had  served  his  Majesty  in  the 
wars,  I  accompanied  him  part  of  his  way,  and,  on 
the  28th,  returned  to  Venice. 

29///.  Michaelmas -day,  I  went  with  my  Lord 
Mowbray  ^  (eldest  son  to  the  Earl  of  Arundel,  and 

1  [Francis  Bramston,  d.  l683,  brother  of  Sir  John  Bramston 
of  the  Autobiography.  He  was  made  a  Baron  of  the  Exchequer 
in  l678.  He  travelled  for  four  years  in  France  and  Italy 
(^see  post,  under  10th  October).] 

2  James  Lord  Mowbray  and  Maltravers,  the  eldest  son  of 
Lord  Arundel,  died  in  l624,  before  his  father.  Evelyn's  friend 
was  Henry  Frederick  (1 608-52),  the  Earl's  second  son,  who,  on 
his  father's  death  in  Italy  (l646),  succeeded  to  the  earldom  of 
Arundel.  He  married,  in  I626,  Elizabeth,  eldest  daughter  of 
Esme  Stuart,  Earl  of  March,  and  afterwards  Duke  of  Lennox, 
who  will  be  found  noticed  occasionally  by  Evelyn. 


1645 


JOHN  EVELYN  811 


a  most  worthy  person)  to  see  the  collection  of  a 
noble  Venetian,  Signor  Rugini.     He  has  a  stately 
Palace,  richly  furnished  with  statues  and  heads  of 
Roman   Emperors,  all  placed  in  an  ample  room. 
In  the  next,  was  a  cabinet  of  medals,  both  Latin 
and  Greek,  with  divers  curious  shells  and  two  fair 
pearls  in  two  of  them  ;  but,  above  all,  he  abounded 
in  things  petrified,  walnuts,  eggs  in  which  the  yolk 
rattled,  a  pear,  a  piece  of  beef  with  the  bones  in  it, 
a  whole  hedgehog,  a  plaice  on  a  wooden  trencher 
turned    into    stone   and    very    perfect,   charcoal,   a 
morsel  of  cork  yet  retaining  its  levity,  sponges,  and 
a  piece  of  taffety  part  rolled  up,  with  innumerable 
more.       In  another  cabinet,  supported  by  twelve 
pillars   of  oriental   agate,    and   railed    about   with 
crystal,   he  showed  us  several   noble  intaglios    of 
agate,  especially  a  head  of  Tiberius,  a  woman  in  a 
bath  with  her  dog,  some  rare  cornelians,  onyxes, 
crystals,  etc.,  in  one  of  which  was  a  drop  of  water 
not  congealed,   but  moving   up  and  down,   when 
shaken  ;  above  all,  a  diamond  which  had  a  very  fair 
ruby  growing  in  it ;  divers  pieces  of  amber,  wherein 
were  several  insects,  in  particular  one  cut  like  a 
heart  that  contained  in  it  a  salamander  without  the 
least   defect,  and   many   pieces   of  mosaic.      The 
fabric  of  this  cabinet  was  very  ingenious,  set  thick 
with  agates,  turquoises,  and  other  precious  stones, 
in  the  midst  of  which  was  an  antique  of  a  dog  in 
stone  scratching  his  ear,  very  rarely  cut,  and  com- 
parable to  the  greatest  curiosity  I  had  ever  seen  of 
that  kind  for  the  accurateness  of  the  work.     The 
next  chamber  had  a  bedstead  all  inlaid  with  agates, 
crystals,    cornelians,    lazuli,    etc.,    esteemed    worth 
16,000  crowns ;    but,  for  the  most  part,  the  bed- 
steads in  Italy  are  of  forged  iron  gilded,  since  it  is 
impossible   to   keep   the   wooden    ones    from   the 
cimices. 

From  hence,  I  returned  to  Padua,  when  that 


312  THE  DIARY  OF  i645 

town  was  so  infested  with  soldiers,  that  many 
houses  were  broken  open  in  the  night,  some 
murders  committed,  and  the  nuns  next  our  lodging 
disturbed,  so  as  we  were  forced  to  be  on  our  guard 
with  pistols  and  other  firearms  to  defend  our  doors  ; 
and  indeed  the  students  themselves  take  a  barbarous 
liberty  in  the  evenings  when  they  go  to  their 
strumpets,  to  stop  all  that  pass  by  the  house  where 
any  of  their  companions  in  folly  are  with  them. 
This  custom  they  call  chi  vali,  so  as  the  streets  are 
very  dangerous,  when  the  evenings  grow  dark  ;  nor 
is  it  easy  to  reform  this  intolerable  usage,  where 
there  are  so  many  strangers  of  several  nations. 

Using  to  drink  my  wine  cooled  with  snow  and 
ice,  as  the  manner  here  is,  I  was  so  afflicted  with  an 
angina  and  sore  throat,  that  it  had  almost  cost  me 
my  life.  After  all  the  remedies  Cavalier  Veslingius, 
chief  professor  here,  could  apply,  old  Salvatico 
(that  famous  physician)  being  called,  made  me  be 
cupped,  and  scarified  in  the  back  in  four  places ; 
which  began  to  give  me  breath,  and  consequently 
life ;  for  I  was  in  the  utmost  danger ;  but,  God 
being  merciful  to  me,  I  was  after  a  fortnight  abroad 
again ;  when,  changing  my  lodging,  I  went  over 
against  Pozzo  Pinto,  where  I  bought  for  winter 
provision  3000  weight  of  excellent  grapes,  and 
pressed  my  own  wine,  which  proved  incomparable 
liquor. 

This  was  on  10th  October.  Soon  after  came  to 
visit  me  from  Venice  Mr.  Henry  Howard,  grand- 
child to  the  Earl  of  Arundel,^  Mr.  Bramston,-  son 

^  Second  son  of  the  preceding.  He  succeeded  his  elder 
brother,  Thomas,  who  had  been  restored  in  1664  to  the  dukedom 
of  Norfolk,  as  sixth  duke  (1677),  though  he  had  pre\iously  been 
created  Baron  Howard  of  Castle  Rising  (I669)  and  Earl  of 
Norwich  (l672).  He  was  also  created  Earl  Marshal  of  England, 
and  died  11th  January,  l684.  Evelyn  often  mentions  this 
family. 

2  [See  ante,  ]).  310;  and  ;;o*/,  under  3rd  August,  I668.] 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  313 


to  the  Lord  Chief  Justice,^  and  Mr.  Henshaw,  with 
whom  I  went  to  another  part  of  the  city  to  lodge 
near  St.  Catherine's,  over  against  the  monastery  of 
nuns,  where  we  hired  the  whole  house,  and  lived 
very  nobly.  Here  I  learned  to  play  on  the  theorbo, 
taught  by  Signor  Dominico  Bassano,  who  had  a 
daughter  married  to  a  doctor  of  laws,  that  played 
and  sung  to  nine  several  instruments,  with  that 
skill  and  address  as  few  masters  in  Italy  exceeded 
her  ;  she  likewise  composed  divers  excellent  pieces  : 
I  had  never  seen  any  play  on  the  Naples  viol  before. 
She  presented  me  afterwards  with  two  recitativos 
of  hers,  both  words  and  music. 

31^^  October,  Being  my  birthday,^  the  nuns  of 
St.  Catherine's  sent  me  flowers  of  silk- work.  We 
were  very  studious  all  this  winter  till  Christmas, 
when,  on  Twelfth-day,  we  invited  all  the  English 
and  Scots  in  town  to  a  feast,  which  sunk  our 
excellent  wine  considerably. 

1645-6.  In  January,  Signor  Molino  was  chosen 
Doge  of  Venice,  but  the  extreme  snow  that  fell,  and 
the  cold,  hindered  my  going  to  see  the  solemnity, 
so  as  I  stirred  not  from  Padua  till  Shrovetide,  when 
all  the  world  repair  to  Venice,  to  see  the  folly  and 
madness  of  the  Carnival ;  the  women,  men,  and 
persons  of  all  conditions  disguising  themselves  in 
antique  dresses,  with  extravagant  music  and  a 
thousand  gambols,  traversing  the  streets  from  house 
to  house,  all  places  being  then  accessible  and  free 
to  enter.  Abroad,  they  fling  eggs  filled  with  sweet 
water,  but  sometimes  not  over- sweet.  They  also 
have  a  barbarous  custom  of  hunting  bulls  about 
the  streets  and  piazzas,  which  is  very  dangerous, 
the  passages  being  generally  narrow.     The  youth 

1  [Sir  John  Bramston  of  Borsham,  1577-1654,  Chief  Justice  of 
King's  Bench,  l635,  and  father  of  Sir  John  Bramston,  K.B., 
161 1-1700,  author  of  the  Autobiography?^ 

-  [He  was  twenty-five.] 


314  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

of  the  several  wards  and  parishes  contend  in  other 
masteries  and  pastimes,  so  that  it  is  impossible  to 
recount  the  universal  madness  of  this  place  during 
this  time  of  license.  The  great  banks  are  set  up 
for  those  who  will  play  at  basset ;  the  comedians 
have  liberty,  and  the  operas  are  open ;  witty 
pasquils  are  thrown  about,  and  the  mountebanks 
have  their  stages  at  every  corner.  The  diversion 
which  chiefly  took  me  up  was  three  noble  operas, 
where  were  excellent  voices  and  music,  the  most 
celebrated  of  which  was  the  famous  Anna  Rencia,^ 
whom  we  invited  to  a  fish-dinner  after  four  days  in 
Lent,  when  they  had  given  over  at  the  theatre. 
Accompanied  with  an  eunuch  whom  she  brought 
with  her,  she  entertained  us  with  rare  music,  both 
of  them  singing  to  a  harpsichord.  It  growing  late, 
a  gentleman  of  Venice  came  for  her,  to  show  her 
the  galleys,  now  ready  to  sail  for  Candia.  This 
entertainment  produced  a  second,  given  us  by  the 
English  consul  of  the  merchants,  inviting  us  to 
his  house,  where  he  had  the  Genoese,  the  most 
celebrated  bass  in  Italy,  who  was  one  of  the 
late  opera-band.  This  diversion  held  us  so  late 
at  night,  that,  conveying  a  gentlewoman  who  had 
supped  with  us  to  her  gondola  at  the  usual  place 
of  landing,  we  were  shot  at  by  two  carbines  from 
another  gondola,  in  which  were  a  noble  Venetian 
and  his  courtesan  unwilling  to  be  disturbed, 
which  made  us  run  in  and  fetch  other  weapons, 
not  knowing  what  the  matter  was,  till  we  were 
informed  of  the  danger  we  might  incur  by  pursuing 
it  farther. 

Three  days  after  this,  I  took  my  leave  of  Venice, 
and  went  to  Padua,  to  be  present  at  the  famous 
anatomy  lecture,  celebrated  here  with  extraordinary 
apparatus,  lasting  almost  a  whole  month.  During 
this  time,  I  saw  a  woman,  a  child,  and  a  man  dis- 

1  See  ante,  p.  298. 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  315 

sected  with  all  the  manual  operations  of  the 
chirurgeon  on  the  human  body.  The  one  was 
performed  by  Cavalier  Veslingius  and  Dr.  Jo. 
Athelsteinus  Leoncenas,  of  whom  I  purchased  those 
rare  tables  of  veins  and  nerves/  and  caused  him  to 
prepare  a  third  of  the  lungs,  liver,  and  nervi  sexti 
par :  with  the  gastric  veins,  which  I  sent  into 
England,  and  afterwards  presented  to  the  Royal 
Society,  being  the  first  of  that  kind  that  had  been 
seen  there,  and,  for  aught  I  know,  in  the  world, 
though  afterwards  there  were  others.^  When  the 
anatomy  lectures,  which  were  in  the  mornings,  were 
ended,  I  went  to  see  cures  done  in  the  hospitals ; 
and  certainly  as  there  are  the  greatest  helps  and 
the  most  skilful  physicians,  so  there  are  the  most 
miserable  and  deplorable  objects  to  exercise  upon. 
Nor  is  there  any,  I  should  think,  so  powerful  an 
argument  against  the  vice  reigning  in  this  licen- 
tious country,  as  to  be  spectator  of  the  misery 
these  poor  creatures  undergo.  They  are  indeed 
very  carefully  attended,  and  with  extraordinary 
charity. 

20th  March,  I  returned  to  Venice,  where  I  took 
leave  of  my  friends. 

22nd.  I  was  invited  to  excellent  English  potted 
venison,  at  Mr.  Hobbson's,  a  worthy  merchant. 

2^rd.  I  took  my  leave  of  the  Patriarch  and  the 
Prince  of  Wirtemberg,  and  Monsieur  Grotius  (son 
of  the  learned  Hugo  ^)  now  going  as  commander  to 
Candia  ;  and,  in  the  afternoon,  received  of  Vander- 

1  [Seepo*/,  5th  November,  1652,  and  31st  October,  1667.] 

2  [Writing  from  Padua  in  l665,  of  one  Marchetti,  who  had 
learned  dissection  of  Sir  John  Finch,  Sir  Heneage  Finch's 
younger  brother,  "and  one  that  in  anatomy  hath  taken  as 
much  pains  as  most  now  living,"  Edward  Browne  says :  "  He 
[Marchetti]  hath  tables  of  the  veines,  nerv^es,  and  arteries,  five 
times  more  exact  then  are  described  in  any  author"  (Sir  T, 
Browne's  Works,  1836,  i.  91).] 

3  [See  ante,  p.  32.] 


316  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

voort,  my  merchant,  my  bills  of  exchange  of  300 
ducats  for  my  journey.  He  showed  me  his  rare 
collection  of  Italian  books,  esteemed  very  curious, 
and  of  good  value. 

The  next  day,  I  was  conducted  to  the  Ghetto, 
where  the  Jews  dwell  together  in  as  a  tribe  or 
ward,  where  I  was  present  at  a  marriage.  The 
bride  was  clad  in  white,  sitting  in  a  lofty  chair, 
and  covered  with  a  white  veil ;  then  two  old 
llabbis  joined  them  together,  one  of  them  holding 
a  glass  of  wine  in  his  hand,  which,  in  the  midst  of 
the  ceremony,  pretending  to  deliver  to  the  woman, 
he  let  fall,  the  breaking  whereof  was  to  signify  the 
frailty  of  our  nature,  and  that  we  must  expect 
disasters  and  crosses  amidst  all  enjoyments.  This 
done  we  had  a  fine  banquet,  and  were  brought  into 
the  bride-chamber,  Avhere  the  bed  was  dressed  up 
with  flowers,  and  the  counterpane  strewed  in 
works.  At  this  ceremony,  we  saw  divers  very 
beautiful  Portuguese  Jewesses,  with  whom  we  had 
some  conversation. 

I  went  to  the  Spanish  Ambassador  with 
Bonifacio,  his  confessor,  and  obtained  his  pass  to 
serve  me  in  the  Spanish  dominions ;  without 
which  I  was  not  to  travel,  in  this  pompous 
form  : 

Don  Gaspar  de  Teves  y  Guzman,  Marques  de  la  Fuente, 
Senor  Le  Lerena  y  Verazuza,  Commendador  de  Colos,  en  la 
Orden  de  Sant  Yago,  Alcalde  Mayor  perpetuo  y  Escrivano 
Mayor  de  la  Ciudad  de  Sevilla,  Gentilhombre  de  la  Camara 
de  S.  M.  su  Azimilero  Mayor,  de  su  Consejo,  su  Embaxador 
extraordinario  a  los  Principes  de  Italia,  y  Alemania,  y  a  esta, 
serenissima  Republica  de  Venetia,  etc.  Haviendo  de  partir 
de  esta  Ciudad  para  La  Milan  el  Signior  Cavallero  Evelyn 
Ingles,  con  un  Criado,  mi  han  pedido  Passa-porte  para  los 
Estatos  de  su  M.  Le  he  mandado  dar  el  presente,  firmado 
de  mi  mano,  y  sellado  con  el  sello  de  mis  armas,  por  el  qual 
encargo  a  todos  los  menestros  de  S.  M.  antes  quien  le  presen- 
tase  y  a  los  que  no  lo  son,  supplico  les  dare  passar  libramente 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  817 

sin  permitir  que  se  le  haya  vexacion  alguna  antes  niandar  le 
las  favor  para  continuar  su  viage.  Fecho  en  Venecia  a  24 
del  mes  de  Marzo  del  an'o  1646. 

Mar.  de  la  Fuentes,  etc. 

Having  packed  up  my  purchases  of  books^ 
pictures,  casts,  treacle,  etc.  (the  making  and 
extraordinary  ceremony  whereof  I  had  been 
curious  to  observe,  for  it  is  extremely  pompous 
and  worth  seeing),  I  departed  from  Venice, 
accompanied  with  Mr.  Waller  (the  celebrated 
poet),^  now  newly  gotten  out  of  England,  after 
the  Parliament  had  extremely  worried  him  for 
attempting  to  put  in  execution  the  commission 
of  Array,  and  for  which  the  rest  of  his  colleagues 
were  hanged  by  the  rebels. 

The  next  day,  I  took  leave  of  my  comrades  at 
Padua,  and  receiving  some  directions  from  Dr. 
Salvatico  ^  as  to  the  care  of  my  health,  I  prepared 
for  my  journey  towards  Milan. 

It  was  Easter-Monday  that  I  was  invited  to 
breakfast  at  the  Earl  of  Arundel's.^  I  took  my 
leave  of  him  in  his  bed,  where  I  left  that  great  and 
excellent  man  in  tears  on  some  private  discourse 
of  crosses  that  had  befallen  his  illustrious  family, 
particularly  the  undutifulness  of  his  grandson 
PhiHp's  turning  Dominican  Friar  (since  Cardinal 
of  Norfolk),^  and  the  misery  of  his  country  now 

1  [Edmund  Waller,  l606-87.  After  being  imprisoned  in  the 
Tower  for  "  Waller's  Plot/'  to  seize  London  for  Charles  I.,  he 
had  been  fined  and  banished,  November,  l644.] 

2  [See  ante,  p.  312.] 

3  Lassels,  who  travelled  a  short  time  after  Evelyn,  says  (ii. 
p.  429),  that  the  Earl  died  here,  and  that  his  bowels  are  buried 
under  a  black  marble  stone,  inscribed,  "  Interiora  Thomae 
Howardi  Comitis  Arondeliae." 

4  Philip  Howard,  1629-94,  was  the  third  son  of  Henry 
Frederick,  Baron  Mowbray,  afterwards  third  Earl  of  Arundel. 
He  entered  the  Church  of  Rome,  as  stated  by  Evelyn,  and 
afterwards  rose  to  the  dignity  of  Cardinal,  and  became  Lord 
Almoner  to  Catherine,  consort  of  Charles  II. 


318 


THE  DIARY  OF 


1646 


embroiled  in  civil  war.  He  caused  his  gentleman 
to  give  me  directions,  all  written  with  his  own 
hand,  what  curiosities  I  should  inquire  after  in  my 
journey ;  and,  so  enjoining  me  to  write  sometimes 
to  him,  I  departed.  There  stayed  for  me  below, 
Mr.  Henry  Howard  (afterwards  Duke  of  Norfolk), 
Mr.  J.  Digby,  son  of  Sir  Kenelm  Digby,^  and 
other  gentlemen,  who  conducted  me  to  the  coach. 

The  famous  lapidaries  of  Venice  for  false  stones 
and  pastes,  so  as  to  emulate  the  best  diamonds, 
rubies,  etc.,  were  Marco  Terrasso  and  Gilbert. 

An  account  of  what  Bills  of  Exchange  I  took  up  at  Venice  mice 
my  coming  from  Rome^  till  my  departure  from  Padua. 


nth  Aug.,  1645    . 

.      200 

7th  Sept. 

.      135 

1st  Oct. 

.      100 

15th  Jan.,  l646     . 

.      100 

23rd  April    . 

.      300 

» 

835  Ducati  di  Banco 

In  company,  then,  with  Mr.  Waller,  one 
Captain  Wray^  (son  of  Sir  Christopher,  whose 
father  had  been  in  arms  against  his  Majesty,  and 
therefore  by  no  means  welcome  to  us),  with  Mr. 
Abdy,  a  modest  and  learned  man,  we  got  that 
night  to  Vicenza,  passing  by  the  Euganean  hills, 
celebrated  for  the  prospects  and  furniture  of  rare 
simples,  which  we  found  growing  about  them. 
The  ways  were  something  deep,  the  whole  country 
flat  and  even  as  a  bowling-green.  The  common 
fields  lie  square,  and  are  orderly  planted  with  fruit 
trees,  which  the  vines  run  and  embrace,  for  many 
miles,  with  delicious  streams  creeping  along  the 
ranges. 

Vicenza  is  a  city  in  the  Marquisate  of  Treviso, 

^  [See  ante,  p.  46.     John  Digby  was  his  second  son,  his  eldest 
son  being  Kenelm,  afterwards  killed  in  the  Civil  Wars.] 
2  [Afterwards  Sir  William  (see  jwst,  p.  350).] 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  319 


yet  appertaining  to  the  Venetians,  full  of  gentle- 
men and  splendid   palaces,   to  which   the  famous 
Palladio,'  born  here,  has  exceedingly  contributed, 
having  been   the  architect.     Most  conspicuous  is 
the  Hall  of  Justice ;   it  has  a  tower  of  excellent 
work;    the   lower  pillars    are  of  the   first   order; 
those    in    the    three    upper   corridors   are   Doric; 
under  them,  are  shops  in  a  spacious  piazza.     The 
hall  was  built  in  imitation  of  that  at  Padua,  but  of 
a  nobler  design,  a  la  vioderne.     The  next  morning, 
we  visited  the  theatre,  as  being  of  that  kind  the 
most  perfect  now  standing,  and  built  by  Palladio, 
in   exact   imitation    of  the   ancient   Romans,   and 
capable  of  containing  5000  spectators."     The  scene, 
which  is  all  of  stone,  represents  an  imperial  city, 
the     order    Corinthian,    decorated    with    statues. 
Over  the  Scenario  is  inscribed,  "  Virtuti  ac  Genio 
Olympior  :  Academia  Theatrum  hoc  a  fundamentis 
erexit    Palladio    Architect:     1584."      The    scene 
decUnes  eleven  feet,  the  sqffitta  painted  with  clouds. 
To  this  there  joins  a  spacious  hall  for  solemn  days 
to  ballot  in,  and  a  second  for  the  Acadeniics.     In 
the  Piazza  is  also  the  Podesta,  or  governor's  house, 
the  facciata  being  of  the  Corinthian  order,  very 
noble.      The   Piazza   itself  is   so    large   as   to   be 
capable  of  jousts   and   tournaments,  the  nobility 
of  this   city   being  exceedingly    addicted   to   this 
knight-errantry,  and  other  martial  diversions.     In 
this  place  are  two  pillars  in  imitation  of  those  at 
St.    Mark's   at    Venice,    bearing    one    of    them   a 
winged  lion,  the  other  the  statue  of  St.  John  the 
Baptist. 

In  a  word,  this  sweet  town  has  more  well-built 
palaces  than  any  of  its  dimensions  in  all  Italy, 
besides  a  number  begun  and  not  yet  finished  (but 
of    stately    design)    by   reason    of    the    domestic 


"Andrea  Palladio,  1518-80.] 
Lassels  says  three  thousand.] 


320  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

dissensions  betwixt  them  and  those  of  Brescia, 
fomented  by  the  sage  Venetians,  lest  by  com- 
bining, they  might  think  of  recovering  their 
ancient  liberty.  For  this  reason,  also,  are  per- 
mitted those  disorders  and  insolences  committed 
at  Padua  among  the  youth  of  these  two  territories. 
It  is  no  dishonour  in  this  country  to  be  some 
generations  in  finishing  their  palaces,  that  without 
exhausting  themselves  by  a  vast  expense  at  once, 
they  may  at  last  erect  a  sumptuous  pile.  Count 
Oleine's  Palace  is  near  perfected  in  this  manner. 
Count  Ulmarini  ^  is  more  famous  for  his  gardens, 
being  without  the  walls,  especially  his  cedrario,  or 
conserve  of  oranges,  eleven  score  of  my  paces  long, 
set  in  order  and  ranges,  making  a  canopy  all  the 
way  by  their  intermixing  branches  for  more  than 
200  of  my  single  paces,  and  which,  being  full  of 
fruit  and  blossoms,  was  a  most  delicious  sight.  In 
the  middle  of  this  garden,  was  a  cupola  made  of 
wire,  supported  by  slender  pillars  of  brick,  so 
closely  covered  with  ivy,  both  without  and  within, 
that  nothing  was  to  be  perceived  but  green ; 
betwixt  the  arches  there  dangled  festoons  of 
the  same.  Here  is  likewise  a  most  inextricable 
labyrinth. 

I  had  in  this  town  recommendation  to  a  very 
civil  and  ingenious  apothecary,  called  Angelico, 
who  had  a  pretty  collection  of  paintings.  I  would 
fain  have  visited  a  Palace,  called  the  Rotonda,^ 
which  was  a  mile  out  of  town,  belonging  to 
Count  Martio  Capra ;  but  one  of  our  companions 
hastening  to  be  gone,  and  little  minding  anything 
save  drinking  and  folly,  caused  us  to  take  coach 
sooner  than  we  should  have  done. 

A  little  from  the  town,  we  passed  the  Campo 

^  Lassels  (ii.  p.  435)  calls  him  Valmerana,  [and  mentions  the 
"  curious  Labyrinth  in  the  garden  "  of  which  Evelyn  speaks]. 
-  ["  Palladio's  Villa,"  copied  by  Lord  Burlington  at  Chiswick.] 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  821 

Martio,  set  out  in  imitation  of  ancient  Rome, 
wherein  the  nohles  exercised  their  horses,  and  the 
ladies  make  the  Corso  ;  it  is  entered  by  a  stately 
triumphal  arch,  the  invention  of  Palladio. 

Being  now  set  out  for  Verona,  about  midway 
we  dined  at  Ostaria  Nova,  and  came  late  to  our 
resting-place,  which  was  the  Cavaletto,  just  over 
the  monument  of  the  Scaligeri,^  formerly  princes 
of  Verona,  adorned  with  many  devices  in  stone  of 
ladders,  alluding  to  the  name. 

Early  next  morning,  we  went  about  the  city, 
which  is  built  on  the  gentle  declivity,  and  bottom 
of  a  hill,  environed  in  part  with  some  considerable 
piountains  and  downs  of  fine  grass,  like  some 
places  in  the  south  of  England,  and,  on  the  other 
side,  having  the  rich  plain  where  Caius  Marius  over- 
threw the  Cimbrians.  The  city  is  divided  in  the 
midst  by  the  river  Adige,  over  which  are  divers 
stately  bridges,  and  on  its  banks  are  many  goodly 
palaces,  whereof  one  is  well  painted  in  chiaroscuro 
on  the  outside,  as  are  divers  in  this  dry  climate  of 
Italy. 

The  first  thing  that  engaged  our  attention  and 
wonder,  too,  was  the  amphitheatre,  which  is  the 
most  entire  of  ancient  remains  now  extant.  The 
inhabitants  call  it  the  Arena :  it  has  two  porticoes, 
one  within  the  other,  and  is  thirty-four  rods  long, 
twenty-two  in  breadth,  with  forty-two  ranks  of 
stone  benches,  or  seats,  which  reach  to  the  top. 
The  vastness  of  the  marble  stones  is  stupendous. 
"L.  V.  Flaminius,  Consul,  anno.  urb.  con.  liii." 
This  I  esteem  to  be  one  of  the  noblest  antiquities 
in  Europe,  it  is  so  vast  and  entire,  having  escaped 
the  ruins  of  so  many  other  public  buildings  for 
above  1400  years. 

There  are  other  arches,  as  that  of  the  victory  of 

1  [Or  della  Scala,  from  whom — says  Lassels — "'Joseph  and 
Julius  Scaliger  pretend  to  have  come  "  (ii.  p.  437).] 

VOL.  I  Y 


322  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

Marius ;  temples,  aqueducts,  etc.,  showing  still 
considerable  remains  in  several  places  of  the  town, 
and  how  magnificent  it  has  formerly  been.  It  has 
three  strong  castles,  and  a  large  and  noble  wall. 
Indeed,  the  whole  city  is  bravely  built,  especially 
the  Senate-house,  where  we  saw  those  celebrated 
statues  of  Cornelius  Nepos,  ^Emilius  Marcus, 
Plinius,  and  Vitruvius,  all  having  honoured  Verona 
by  their  birth  ;  and,  of  later  date,  Julius  Csesar 
Scaliger,  that  prodigy  of  learning.^ 

In  the  evening  we  saw  the  garden  of  Count 
Giusti's  villa,  where  are  walks  cut  out  of  the  main 
rock,  from  whence  we  had  the  pleasant  prospect 
of  Mantua  and  Parma,  though  at  great  distance. 
At  the  entrance  of  this  garden,  grows  the  goodliest 
cypress,  I  fancy,  in  Europe,  cut  in  a  pyramid ;  it 
is  a  prodigious  tree  both  for  breadth  and  height, 
entirely  covered,  and  thick  to  the  base. 

Dr.  Cortone,  a  civilian,  showed  us,  amongst 
other  rarities,  a  St.  Dorothea,  of  Ilaphael.  We 
could  not  see  the  rare  drawings,  especially  of 
Parmensis,  belonging  to  Dr.  INIarcello,  another 
advocate,  on  account  of  his  absence. 

Verona  deserved  all  those  eulogies  Scaliger  has 
honoured  it  with ;  for,  in  my  opinion,  the  situation 
is  the  most  delightful  I  ever  saw,  it  is  so  sweetly 
mixed  with  rising  ground  and  valleys,  so  elegantly 
planted  with  trees  on  which  Bacchus  seems  riding 
as  it  were  in  triumph  every  autumn,  for  the  vines 
reach  from  tree  to  tree ;  here,  of  all  places  I  have 
seen  in  Italy,  would  I  fix  a  residence.  Well  has 
that  learned  man  given  it  the  name  of  the  very  eye 
of  the  world  : 

Ocelle  mundi,  Sidus  Itali  coeli, 

Flos  Urbium^  flos  cornicuumq'  amoenum, 

Quot  sunt,  eruntve,  quot  fuere,  Verona. 

1  [Julius  Caesar  Scaliger,  1484-1558,  father  of  Joseph  Justus 
(see  ante,  p.  41).] 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  828 

The  next  morning  we  travelled  over  the  downs 
where  Mariiis  fought,  and  fancied  ourselves  about 
Winchester,  and  the  country  towards  Dorsetshire. 
We  dined  at  an  inn  called  Cavalli  Caschieri,  near 
Peschiera,  a  very  strong  fort  of  the  Venetian 
Republic,  and  near  the  Lago  di  Garda,  which 
disembogues  into  that  of  Mantua,  near  forty  miles 
in  length,  highly  spoken  of  by  my  Lord  Arundel 
to  me,  as  the  most  pleasant  spot  in  Italy,  for  which 
reason  I  observed  it  with  the  more  diligence, 
alighting  out  of  the  coach,  and  going  up  to  a  grove 
of  cypresses  growing  about  a  gentleman's  country- 
house,  from  whence  indeed  it  presents  a  most 
surprising  prospect.  The  hills  and  gentle  risings 
about  it  produce  oranges,  citrons,  ohves,  figs,  and 
other  tempting  fruits,  and  the  waters  abound  in 
excellent  fish,  especially  trouts.  In  the  middle  of 
this  lake,  stands  Sermonea  [Sermione],  on  an 
island  ;  here  Captain  Wray  bought  a  pretty  nag  of 
the  master  of  our  inn  where  we  dined,  for  eight 
pistoles,  which  his  wife,  our  hostess,  was  so  un- 
willing to  part  with,  that  she  did  nothing  but  kiss 
and  weep  and  hang  about  the  horse's  neck,  till  the 
captain  rode  away. 

We  came  this  evening  to  Brescia,  which  next 
morning  we  traversed,  according  to  our  custom, 
in  search  of  antiquities  and  new  sights.  Here,  I 
purchased  of  old  Lazariiio  Cominazzo  ^  my  fine 
carbine,  which  cost  me  nine  pistoles,  this  city 
being  famous  for  these  firearms,  and  that  work- 
man, Jo.  Bap.  Franco,  the  best  esteemed.  The 
city  consists  most  in  artists,  every  shop  abounding 
in  guns,  swords,  armourers,  etc.  Most  of  the 
workmen  come  out  of  Germany.  It  stands  in  a 
fertile  plain,  yet  the  castle  is  built  on  a  hill.  The 
streets  abound  in  fair  fountains.  The  Torre  della 
Pallada  is  of  a  noble  Tuscan  order,  and  the  Senate- 

[Lassels  calls  him  the  "famous"  Lazarino  Comminazzo.] 


324  THE  DIARY  OF  im 

house  is  inferior  to  few.  The  piazza  is  but  in- 
different ;  some  of  the  houses  arched  as  at  Padua. 
The  Cathedral  was  under  repair.  We  would  from 
hence  have  visited  Parma,  Piacenza,  Mantua,  etc.  ; 
but  the  banditti  and  other  dangerous  parties  being 
abroad,  committing  many  enormities,  we  were  con- 
tented with  a  Pisgah  sight  of  them. 

We  dined  next  day,  at  Ursa  Vecchia,  and,  after 
dinner,  passed  by  an  exceeding  strong  fort  of  the 
Venetians,  called  Ursa  Nova,  on  their  frontier. 
Then  by  the  river  Oglio,  and  so  by  Sonzino,  where 
we  enter  the  Spanish  dominions,  and  that  night 
arrived  at  Crema,  which  belongs  to  Venice,  and  is 
well  defended.  The  Podestas  Palace  is  finely 
built,  and  so  is  the  Duomo,  or  Cathedral,  and  the 
tower  to  it,  with  an  ample  piazza. 

Early  next  day,  after  four  miles'  riding,  we 
entered  into  the  State  of  Milan,  and  passed  by 
liodi,^  a  great  city  famous  for  cheese,  little  short  of 
the  best  Parmeggiano.  We  dined  at  Marignano, 
ten  miles  before  coming  to  Milan,  where  we  met 
half-a-dozen  suspicious  cavaliers,  who  yet  did  us 
no  harm.  Then,  passing  as  through  a  continual 
garden,  we  went  on  with  exceeding  pleasure ;  for 
it  is  the  Paradise  of  Lombardy,  the  highways  as 
even  and  straight  as  a  line,  the  fields  to  a  vast 
extent  planted  with  fruit  about  the  enclosures, 
vines  to  every  tree  at  equal  distances,  and  watered 
with  frequent  streams.  There  was  likewise  much 
corn,  and  olives  in  abundance.  At  approach  of 
the  city,  some  of  our  company,  in  dread  of  the 
Inquisition  (severer  here  than  in  all  Spain),  thought 
of  throwing  away  some  Protestant  books  and 
papers.  We  arrived  about  three  in  the  after- 
noon, when  the  officers  searched  us  thoroughly 
for  prohibited  goods  ;    but,  finding  we  were  only 

1  Celebrated  in  later  years  for  the  victory  gained  by 
Buonaparte  over  the  Austrians. 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  325 

gentlemen  travellers,  dismissed  us  for  a  small 
reward,  and  we  went  quietly  to  our  inn,  the  Three 
Kings,  where,  for  that  day,  we  refreshed  ourselves, 
as  we  had  need.  The  next  morning,  we  delivered 
our  letters  of  recommendation  to  the  learned  and 
courteous  Ferrarius,  a  Doctor  of  the  Ambrosian 
College,^  who  conducted  us  to  all  the  remarkable 
places  of  the  town,  the  first  of  which  was  the 
famous  Cathedral.  We  entered  by  a  portico,  so 
little  inferior  to  that  of  Rome  that,  when  it  is 
finished,  it  will  be  hard  to  say  which  is  the  fairest ; 
the  materials  are  all  of  white  and  black  marble, 
with  columns  of  great  height,  of  Egyptian  granite. 
The  outside  of  the  church  is  so  full  of  sculpture, 
that  you  may  number  4000  statues,  all  of  white 
marble,  amongst  which  that  of  St.  Bartholomew 
is  esteemed  a  masterpiece.^  The  church  is  very 
spacious,  almost  as  long  as  St.  Peter's  at  Rome, 
but  not  so  large.  About  the  choir,  the  sacred 
story  is  finely  sculptured,  in  snow-white  marble, 
nor  know  I  where  it  is  exceeded.  About  the  body 
of  the  church  are  the  miracles  of  St.  Charles 
Borromeo,^  and  in  the  vault  beneath  is  his  body 
before  the  high  altar,  grated,  and  enclosed,  in  one 
of  the  largest  crystals  in  Europe. "^  To  this  also 
belongs  a  rich  treasure.  The  cupola  is  all  of 
marble  within  and  without,  and  even  covered  with 

^  Francisco  Bernardino  Ferrari,  1577-1669,  for  his  ex- 
tensive knowledge  of  books  selected  by  Frederick  Borromeo, 
Archbishop  of  Milan,  as  a  proper  person  to  travel  and  collect 
books  and  manuscripts  for  a  noble  library  he  was  desirous  of 
founding  in  that  city.  He  collected  a  great  number  of  works 
in  alljclasses  of  literature,  which,  with  later  additions,  has  since 
been  known  as  the  Ambrosian  Library.  Lassels  speaks  also  of 
Octavius  Ferrarius,  1 607-64,  a  Milanese  archaeologist. 

2  [By  Christophero  Cibo.] 

2  [Charles  Borromeo,  St.  Cardinal  Archbishop  of  Milan,  1538- 
1 584,  "another  St.  Ambrose  in  Pastoral  dignity, zeale  and  sanctity," 
says  Lassels,  i.  p.  118.] 

*  [The  coffin  is  made  of  "  great  squars  of  crista!  "'\ 


326  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

great  planks  of  marble,  in  the  Gothic  design.  The 
windows  are  most  beautifully  painted.  Here  are 
two  very  fair  and  excellent  organs.  The  fabric  is 
erected  in  the  midst  of  a  fair  piazza,  and  in  the 
centre  of  the  city. 

Hence,  we  went  to  the  Palace  of  the  Arch- 
bishop, which  is  a  quadrangle,  the  architecture  of 
Tibaldi,  who  designed  much  for  Philip  II.  in  the 
Escurial,  and  has  built  much  in  Milan.  Hence, 
into  the  Governor's  Palace,  who  was  Constable  of 
Castile.  Tempted  by  the  glorious  tapestries  and 
pictures,  I  adventured  so  far  alone,  that  peeping 
into  a  chamber  where  the  great  man  was  under  the 
barber  s  hands,  he  sent  one  of  his  negroes  (a  slave) 
to  know  what  I  was.  I  made  the  best  excuse  I 
could,  and  that  I  was  only  admiring  the  pictures, 
which  he  returning  and  telling  his  lord,  I  heard 
the  Governor  reply  that  I  was  a  spy ;  on  which  I 
retired  with  all  the  speed  I  could,  passed  the  guard 
of  Swiss,  got  into  the  street,  and  in  a  moment  to 
my  company,  who  were  gone  to  the  Jesuits' 
Church,  which  in  truth  is  a  noble  structure,  the 
front  especially,  after  the  modern.  After  dinner, 
we  were  conducted  to  St.  Celso,  a  church  of  rare 
architecture,  built  by  Bramante ;  the  carvings  of 
the  Tnarhlejacciata  are  by  Annibal  Fontana,  whom 
they  esteem  at  Milan  equal  to  the  best  of  the 
ancients.  In  a  room  joining  to  the  Church,  is 
a  marble  Madonna,  like  a  coloss,  of  the  same 
sculptor's  work,  which  they  will  not  expose  to  the 
air.  There  are  two  sacristias,  in  one  of  which  is  a 
fine  Virgin,  of  Leonardo  da  Vinci ;  in  the  other  is 
one  of  Raphael  d'Urbino,  a  piece  which  all  the 
world  admires.  The  Sacristan  showed  us  a  world 
of  rich  plate,  jewels,  and  embroidered  copes,  which 
are  kept  in  presses. 

Next,  we  went  to  see  the  Great  Hospital,  a 
quadrangular  cloister  of  a  vast  compass,   a  truly 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  327 


royal  fabric,  with  an  annual  endowment  of  50,000 
crowns  of  gold.  There  is  in  the  middle  of  it  a 
cross  building  for  the  sick,  and,  just  under  it,  an 
altar  so  placed  as  to  be  seen  in  all  places  of  the 
Infirmary. 

There  are  divers  colleges  built  in  this  quarter, 
richly  provided  for  by  the  same  Borromeo  and  his 
nephew,  the  last  Cardinal  Frederico,^  some  not  yet 
finished,  but  of  excellent  design. 

In  St.  Eustorgio,  they  tell  us,  formerly  lay  the 
bodies  of  the  three  Magi,  since  translated  to 
Cologne  in  Germany ;  they,  however,  preserve 
the  tomb,  which  is  a  square  stone,  on  which  is 
engraven  a  star,  and,  under  it,  "  Sepulchrum  trium 
Magorum." 

Passing  by  St.  Laurence,  we  saw  sixteen  columns 
of  marble,  and  the  ruins  of  a  Temple  of  Hercules, 
with  this  inscription  yet  standing  : 

Imp.  Caesari  L.  Aurelio  Vero  Aug.  Arminiaco  Medio 
Parthico  Max.  Trib.  Pot.  VII.  Imp.  IIII.  Cos.  III.  P.  P. 
Divi  Antonini  Pij  Divi  Hadriani  Nepoti  Divi  Trajani 
Parthici  Pro-Nepoti  Divi  Nervae  Abnepoti  Dec.  Dec. 

We  concluded  this  day's  Avandering  at  the 
Monastery  of  Madonna  delie  Grazie,  and  in  the 
refectory  admired  that  celebrated  "  Coena  Domini" 
of  Leonardo  da  Vinci,  which  takes  up  the  entire 
wall  at  the  end,  and  is  the  same  that  the  great 
virtuoso,  Francis  the  First  of  France,  was  so 
enamoured  of,  that  he  consulted  to  remove  the 
whole  wall  by  binding  it  about  wdth  ribs  of  iron 
and  timber,  to  convey  it  into  France.^     It  is  indeed 

1  [Frederick  Borromeo,  1564-31,  Archbishop  of  Milan.] 
^  The  Painter  s  Voyage  of  Italy,  published  in  l679,  does  not 
notice  it ;  and  probably  it  was  then  almost  invisible  from  decay. 
It  has  since  been  frequently  retouched,  and  it  still  remains  in 
the  refectory  of  the  monastery  in  which  Evelyn  saw  it ;  but  the 
damage  received  from  the  dampness  of  the  wall  has  left  it  but 


328  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

one  of  the  rarest  paintings  that  was  ever  executed 
by  Leonardo,  who  was  long  in  the  service  of  that 
Prince,  and  so  dear  to  him  that  the  King  coming 
to  visit  him  in  his  old  age  and  sickness,  he  expired 
in  his  arms.  But  this  incomparable  piece  is  now 
exceedingly  impaired/ 

Early  next  morning  came  the  learned  Dr. 
Ferrarius  to  visit  us,  and  took  us  in  his  coach  to 
see  the  Ambrosian  Library,  where  Cardinal  Fred. 
Borromeo  has  expended  so  vast  a  sum  on  this 
building,  and  furnishing  with  curiosities,  especially 
paintings  and  drawings  of  inestimable  value  amongst 
painters.  It  is  a  school  fit  to  make  the  ablest 
artists.  There  are  many  rare  things  of  Hans 
Brueghel,  and  amongst  them  the  "  Four  Elements."  ^ 
In  this  room,  stands  the  glorious  [boasting]  inscrip- 
tion of  Cavaliero  Galeazzo  Arconati,  valuing  his 
gift  to  the  library  of  several  drawings  by  Da  ^^inci ; 
but  these  we  could  not  see,  the  keeper  of  them 
being  out  of  town,  and  he  always  carrying  the 
keys  with  him ;  but  my  Lord  JNIarshal,  who  had 
seen  them,  told  me  all  but  one  book  are  small,  that 
a  huge  folio  contained  400  leaves  full  of  scratches 
of  Indians,  etc.  But  whereas  the  inscription 
pretends  that  our  King  Charles  had  offered  £1000 
for  them, — the  truth  is,  and  my  Lord  himself  told 
me,  that  it  was  he  who  treated  with  Galeazzo  for 
himself,  in  the  name  and  by  permission  of  the 
King,  and  that  the  Duke  of  Feria,  w^ho  was  then 

the  most  indistinct  shadow  of  what  it  once  was.  This,  however, 
is  less  to  be  deplored  since  the  magnificent  print  of  it  by 
Raphael  Morghen,  justly  esteemed  one  of  the  finest  works  of 
art  in  this  kind  that  has  ever  been  executed.  The  old  previous 
engraving  from  it  by  Peter  Soutman  by  no  means  exhibited  a 
true  delineation  of  the  characters  of  the  piece,  as  nobly  designed 
by  Leonardo. 

1  [Lassels    only    mentions    Titian's    picture    in    the    church 
("  Christ  crowned  with  Thorns  ").] 

2  [Lassels  calls  them  copies.] 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  329 

Governor,  should  make  the  bargain  ;  but  my  Lord, 
having  seen  them  since,  did  not  think  them  of  so 
much  worth. 

In  the  great  room,  where  is  a  goodly  library,  on 
the  right  hand  of  the  door,  is  a  small  wainscot 
closet,  furnished  with  rare  manuscripts.  Two 
original  letters  of  the  Grand  Signor  were  showed  us, 
sent  to  two  Popes,  one  of  which  was  (as  I  remember) 
to  Alexander  VI.  [Borgia],  and  the  other  mention- 
ing the  head  of  the  lance  which  pierced  our  Blessed 
Saviour's  side,  as  a  present  to  the  Pope :  I  would 
fain  have  gotten  a  copy  of  them,  but  could  not ; 
I  hear,  however,  that  they  are  since  translated  into 
Italian,  and  that  therein  is  a  most  honourable 
mention  of  Christ. 

We  re-visited  St.  Ambrose's  church.  The  high 
altar  is  supported  by  four  porphyry  columns,  and 
under  it  lie  the  remains  of  that  holy  man.  Near 
it  they  showed  us  a  pit,  or  well  (an  obscure  place 
it  is),  where  they  say  St.  Ambrose  baptized  St. 
Augustine,  and  recited  the  Te  Deum  ;  for  so 
imports  the  inscription.  The  place  is  also  famous 
for  some  Councils  that  have  been  held  here,  and 
for  the  coronation  of  divers  Italian  Kinsjs  and 
Emperors,  receiving  the  iron  crown  from  the 
Archbishop  of  this  see.^  They  show  the  History 
by  Joseph  us,  written  on  the  bark  of  trees.  The 
high  altar  is  wonderfully  rich. 

Milan  is  one  of  the  most  princely  cities  in 
Europe :  it  has  no  suburbs,  but  is  circled  with  a 
stately  wall  for  ten  miles,  in  the  centre  of  a  country 
that  seems  to  flow  with  milk  and  honey.  The  air 
is  excellent ;  the  fields  fruitful  to  admiration,  the 
market  abounding  with  all  sorts  of  provisions.  In 
the  city  are  near  100  churches,  71  monasteries, 
and  40,000  inhabitants  ;   it  is  of  a  circular  figure, 

1  Buonaparte  afterwards   took  it,  and   placed  it  on  his  own 
head. 


330  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

fortified  with  bastions,  full  of  sumptuous  palaces 
and  rare  artists,  especially  for  works  in  crystal, 
which  is  here  cheap,  being  found  among  the  Alps. 
They  have  curious  straw- work  among  the  nuns, 
even  to  admiration.  It  has  a  good  river,  and  a 
citadel  at  some  small  distance  from  the  city, 
commanding  it,  of  great  strength  for  its  works  and 
munition  of  all  kinds.  It  was  built  by  Galeatius 
the  Second,  and  consists  of  four  bastions,  and 
works  at  the  angles  and  fronts ;  the  grafF  is  faced 
with  brick  to  a  very  great  depth  ;  has  two  strong- 
towers  as  one  enters,  and  within  is  another  fort, 
and  spacious  lodgings  for  the  soldiers,  and  for 
exercising  them.  No  accommodation  for  strength 
is  wanting,  and  all  exactly  uniform.  They  have 
here  also  all  sorts  of  work  and  tradesmen,  a  great 
magazine  of  arms  and  provisions.  The  fosse  is 
of  spring  water,  with  a  mill  for  grinding  corn,  and 
the  ramparts  vaulted  underneath.  Don  Juan 
Vasques  Coronada  was  now  Governor  ;  the  garrison 
Spaniards  only. 

There  is  nothing  better  worth  seeing  than  the 
collection  of  Signor  Septalla,^  a  canon  of  St. 
Ambrose,  famous  over  Christendom  for  his  learn- 

^  There  are  two  descriptive  Catalogues  of  this  collection,  in 
its  day  one  of  the  most  celebrated  in  all  Italy ;  both  are  in  small 
quarto,  the  one  in  Latin,  the  other  and  more  detailed  one  in 
Italian.  To  this  latter  is  prefixed  a  large  inside  view  of  the 
museum,  exhibiting  its  curious  contents  of  busts,  statues, 
pictures,  urns,  and  every  kind  of  rarity,  natural  and  artificial. 
Keysler,  in  his  Travels,  laments  the  not  being  able  to  inspect  it,  on 
account  of  a  law-suit  then  pending  ;  and,  probably  in  consequence 
of  that  law-suit,  it  has  now  been  long  dispersed.  [Gilbert  Burnet, 
however,  had  seen  it  in  1685,  and  he  describes  some  items 
which  should  have  attracted  Evelyn.  "  There  are  many  curious 
motions,  where,  by  an  unseen  spring,  a  ball,  after  it  hath  roll'd 
down  through  many  winding  descents,  is  thrown  up,  and  so  it 
seems  to  be  a  pei-petual  motion  :  this  is  done  in  several  fonns, 
and  is  well  enough  disguised  to  deceive  the  vulgar.  Many 
motions  of  little  animals,  that  run  about  by  springs,  are  also 
very  pretty"  (Burnet's  Travels,  17'>7,  p.  93).] 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  331 

ing  and  virtues.  Amongst  other  things,  he  showed 
us  an  Indian  wood,  that  has  the  perfect  scent  of 
civet ;  a  flint,  or  pebble,  that  has  a  quantity  of 
water  in  it,  which  is  plainly  to  be  seen,  it  being 
clear  as  agate ;  divers  crystals  that  have  water 
moving  in  them,  some  of  them  having  plants, 
leaves,  and  hog's  bristles  in  them ;  much  amber 
full  of  insects,  and  divers  things  of  woven 
amianthus.^ 

Milan  is  a  sweet  place,  and  though  the  streets 
are  narrow,  they  abound  in  rich  coaches,  and  are 
full  of  noblesse,  who  frequent  the  course  every 
night.  Walking  a  turn  in  the  portico  before  the 
dome,  a  eavaliero  who  passed  by,  hearing  some  of 
us  speaking  English,  looked  a  good  while  earnestly 
on  us,  and  by  and  by  sending  his  servant,  desired 
we  would  honour  him  the  next  day  at  dinner. 
We  looked  on  this  as  an  odd  invitation,  he  not 
speaking  to  us  himself,  but  we  returned  his  civility 
with  thanks,  though  not  fully  resolved  what  to  do, 
or  indeed  what  might  be  the  meaning  of  it  in  this 
jealous  place  ;  but  on  inquiry,  it  was  told  us  he 
was  a  Scots  Colonel,  who  had  an  honourable 
command  in  the  city,  so  that  we  agreed  to  go. 
This  afternoon,  we  were  wholly  taken  up  in  seeing 
an  opera  represented  by  some  Neapolitans,  per- 
formed all  in  excellent  music  v*dth  rare  scenes,  in 
which  there  acted  a  celebrated  beauty. 

Next  morning,  we  went  to  the  Colonel's,  who 
had  sent  his  servant  again  to  conduct  us  to  his 
house,  which  we  found  to  be  a  noble  palace,  richly 
furnished.  There  were  other  guests,  all  soldiers, 
one  of  them  a  Scotchman,  but  we  could  not  learn 
one  of  their  names.  At  dinner,  he  excused  his 
rudeness  that  he  had  not  himself  spoken  to  us ; 
telling  us  it  was  his  custom,  when  he  heard  of  any 

^  [Flexible  asbestos,  or  earth  flax,  an  incombustible  substance 
sometimes  wrought  into  cloth.] 


832  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

English  travellers  (who  but  rarely  would  be  known 
to  pass  through  that  city  for  fear  of  the  Inquisi- 
tion), to  invite  them  to  his  house,  where  they 
might  be  free.  We  had  a  sumptuous  dinner  ;  and 
the  wine  was  so  tempting,  that  after  some  healths 
had  gone  about,  and  we  had  risen  from  table,  the 
Colonel  led  us  into  his  hall,  where  there  hung  up 
divers  colours,  saddles,  bridles,  pistols,  and  other 
arms,  being  trophies  which  he  had  taken  with  his 
own  hands  from  the  enemy ;  amongst  them,  he 
would  needs  bestow  a  pair  of  pistols  on  Captain 
Wray,  one  of  our  fellow-travellers,  and  a  good 
drinking  gentleman,  and  on  me  a  Turkish  bridle 
woven  with  silk  and  very  curiously  embossed, 
with  other  silk  trappings,  to  which  hung  a  half- 
moon  finely  wrought,  which  he  had  taken  from  a 
bashaw  whom  he  had  slain.  With  this  glorious 
spoil,  I  rid  the  rest  of  my  journey  as  far  as  Paris, 
and  brought  it  afterwards  into  England.  He  then 
showed  us  a  stable  of  brave  horses,  with  his  manege 
and  cavallerizza.  Some  of  the  horses  he  caused  to 
be  brought  out,  which  he  mounted,  and  performed 
all  the  motions  of  an  excellent  horseman.  When 
this  was  done,  and  he  had  alighted, — contrary  to 
the  advice  of  his  groom  and  page,  who  knew  the 
nature  of  the  beast,  and  that  their  master  was 
a  little  spirited  with  wine,  he  would  have  a 
fiery  horse  that  had  not  yet  been  managed  and 
was  very  ungovernable,  but  was  otherwise  a  very 
beautiful  creature ;  this  he  mounting,  the  horse, 
getting  the  reins  in  a  full  carrierc,  rose  so  desper- 
ately that  lie  fell  quite  back,  crushing  the  Colonel 
so  forcibly  against  the  wall  of  the  manege,  that 
though  he  sat  on  him  like  a  Centaur,  yet  recover- 
ing the  jade  on  all  fours  again,  he  desired  to  be 
taken  down  and  so  led  in,  where  he  cast  himself 
on  a  pallet ;  and,  with  infinite  lamentations,  after 
some  time  we  took  leave  of  him,  being  now  speech- 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  333 


less.  The  next  morning,  going  to  visit  him,  we 
found  before  the  door  the  canopy  which  they 
usually  carry  over  the  host,  and  some  with  lighted 
tapers  :  which  made  us  suspect  he  was  in  very  sad 
condition,  and  so  indeed  we  found  him,  an  Irish 
Friar  standing  by  his  bedside  as  confessing  him, 
or  at  least  disguising  a  confession,  and  other 
ceremonies  used  in  extremis-,  for  we  afterwards 
learned  that  the  gentleman  was  a  Protestant,  and 
had  this  Friar,  his  confidant ;  which  was  a  dangerous 
thing  at  Milan,  had  it  been  but  suspected.  At  our 
entrance,  he  sighed  grievously,  and  held  up  his 
hands,  but  was  not  able  to  speak.  After  vomiting 
some  blood,  he  kindly  took  us  all  by  the  hand,  and 
made  signs  that  he  should  see  us  no  more,  which 
made  us  take  our  leave  of  him  with  extreme 
reluctancy  and  affliction  for  the  accident.  This 
sad  disaster  made  us  consult  about  our  departure 
as  soon  as  we  could,  not  knowing  how  we  might 
be  inquired  after,  or  engaged,  the  Inquisition  being 
so  cruelly  formidable  and  inevitable,  on  the  least 
suspicion.  The  next  morning,  therefore,  discharg- 
ing our  lodgings,  we  agreed  for  a  coach  to  carry 
us  to  the  foot  of  the  Alps,  not  a  little  concerned 
for  the  death  of  the  Colonel,  which  we  now  heard 
of,  and  who  had  so  courteously  entertained  us. 

The  first  day  we  got  as  far  as  Castellanza,  by 
which  runs  a  considerable  river  into  Lago  Maggiore; 
here,  at  dinner,  were  two  or  three  Jesuits,  who 
were  very  pragmatical^  and  inquisitive,  whom  we 
declined  conversation  with  as  decently  as  we  could  : 
so  we  pursued  our  journey  through  a  most  fruitful 
plain,  but  the  weather  was  wet  and  uncomfortable. 
At  night,  we  lay  at  Sesto. 

The  next  morning,  leaving  our  coach,  we  em- 
barked in  a  boat  to  carry  us  over  the  lake  (being 
one  of  the  largest  in  Europe),  and  whence  we  could 

^  [See  ante,  p.  154.] 


334  THE  DIARY  OF 


1646 


see  the  towering  Alps,  and  amongst  them  the  great 
San  Bernardo,  esteemed  the  highest  mountain  in 
Europe,  appearing  to  be  some  miles  above  the 
clouds.  Through  this  vast  water,  passes  the  river 
Ticinus,  which  discharges  itself  into  the  Po,  by 
which  means  Helvetia  transports  her  merchan- 
dises into  Italy,  which  we  now  begin  to  leave 
behind  us. 

Having  now  sailed  about  two  leagues,  we  were 
hauled  ashore  at  Arona,  a  strong  town  belonging 
to  the  Duchy  of  Milan,  where,  being  examined  by 
the  Governor,  and  paying  a  small  duty,  we  were 
dismissed.  Opposite  to  this  fort,  is  Angera, 
another  small  town,  the  passage  very  pleasant  with 
the  prospect  of  the  Alps  covered  with  pine  and 
fir  trees,  and  above  them,  snow.  We  passed  the 
pretty  island  Isabella,  about  the  middle  of  the 
lake,  on  which  is  a  fair  house  built  on  a  mount ; 
indeed,  the  whole  island  is  a  mount  ascended  by 
several  terraces  and  walks  all  set  above  with  orange 
and  citron  trees. 

The  next  we  saw  was  Isola,^  and  we  left  on  our 
right  hand  the  Isle  of  S.  Giovanni ;  ^  and  so  sailing 
by  another  small  town  built  also  on  an  island,  we 
arrived  at  night  at  Mergozzo,  an  obscure  village  at 
the  end  of  the  lake,  and  at  the  very  foot  of  the 
Alps,  which  now  rise  as  it  were  suddenly  after 
some  hundreds  of  miles  of  the  most  even  country 

1  [M.  Maximilien  Misson^  in  a  passage  cited  by  Soutliey  to 
illustrate  the  seventeenth-century  disregard  of  picturesque  beauty, 
speaks  contemptuously  of  the  Borromean  Islands.  They  are, 
he  admits,  "  agreables,  jmrticulierement  d'lm  pen  loin.  Mais  il  ny  a 
rien  du  tout  de  rare,  ni  d' extraordinaire  "  {Nouveau  Voyage  d'ltalie, 
5^  ed.  1722,  iii.  235).  Burnet,  on  the  other  hand,  is  ecstatical. 
"  They  are  certainly  the  loveliest  spots  of  ground  in  the  world. 
There  is  nothing  in  all  Italy  that  can  be  compared  to  them  ;  they 
have  the  full  view  of  the  lake,  and  the  ground  rises  so  sweetly 
in  them,  that  nothing  can  be  imagined  like  the  terrasses 
here"  (Burnet's  Travels  (in  the  years  l685  and  l6s6),  1737, 
p.  83).] 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  335 


in  the  world,  and  where  there  is  hardly  a  stone  to 
be  found,  as  if  Nature  had  here  swept  up  the 
rubbish  of  the  earth  in  the  Alps,  to  form  and  clear 
the  plains  of  Lombardy,  which  we  had  hitherto 
passed  since  our  coming  from  Venice.  In  this 
wretched  place,  I  lay  on  a  bed  stuffed  with  leaves, 
which  made  such  a  crackling,  and  did  so  prick  my 
skin  through  the  tick,  that  I  could  not  sleep.  The 
next  morning,  I  was  furnished  with  an  ass,  for  we 
could  not  get  horses  ;  instead  of  stirrups,  we  had 
ropes  tied  with  a  loop  to  put  our  feet  in,  which 
supplied  the  place  of  other  trappings.  Thus,  with 
my  gallant  steed,  bridled  with  my  Turkish  present,^ 
we  passed  through  a  reasonably  pleasant  but  very 
narrow  valley,  till  we  came  to  Domo,  where  we 
rested,  and,  having  showed  the  Spanish  pass,  the 
Governor  would  press  another  on  us,  that  his 
Secretary  might  get  a  crown.  Here  we  exchanged 
our  asses  for  mules,  sure-footed  on  the  hills  and 
precipices,  being  accustomed  to  pass  them.  Hiring 
a  guide,  we  were  brought  that  night  through  very 
steep,  craggy,  and  dangerous  passages  to  a  village 
called  Vedra,  being  the  last  of  the  King  of  Spain's 
dominions  in  the  Duchy  of  Milan.  We  had  a 
very  infamous  wretched  lodging. 

The  next  morning,  we  mounted  again  through 
strange,  horrid,  and  fearful  crags  and  tracts, 
abounding  in  pine  trees,  and  only  inhabited  by 
bears,  wolves,  and  wild  goats  ;  nor  could  we  any- 
where see  above  a  pistol-shot  before  us,  the  horizon 
being  terminated  with  rocks  and  mountains,  whose 
tops,  covered  with  snow,  seemed  to  touch  the  skies, 
and  in  many  places  pierced  the  clouds.  Some  of 
these  vast  mountains  were  but  one  entire  stone, 
betwixt  whose  clefts  now  and  then  precipitated 
great  cataracts  of  melted  snow,  and  other  waters, 
which  made  a  terrible  roaring,   echoing  from  the 

1  [See  ante,  p.  332.] 


336  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

rocks  and  cavities  ;  and  these  waters  in  some  places 
breaking  in  the  fall,  wet  us  as  if  we  had  passed 
through  a  mist,  so  as  we  could  neither  see  nor  hear 
one  another,  but,  trusting  to  our  honest  mules,  we 
jogged  on  our  way.  The  narrow  bridges,  in  some 
places  made  only  by  felling  huge  fir  trees,  and 
laying  them  athwart  from  mountain  to  mountain, 
over  cataracts  of  stupendous  depth,  are  very 
dangerous,  and  so  are  the  passages  and  edges  made 
by  cutting  away  the  main  rock  ;  others  in  steps ; 
and  in  some  places  we  pass  between  mountains 
that  have  been  broken  and  fallen  on  one  another ; 
which  is  very  terrible,  and  one  had  need  of  a  sure 
foot  and  steady  head  to  climb  some  of  these  preci- 
pices, besides  that  they  are  harbours  for  bears  and 
wolves,  who  have  sometimes  assaulted  travellers. 
In  these  straits,  we  frequently  alighted,  now  freezing 
in  the  snow,  and  anon  frying  by  the  reverberation 
of  the  sun  against  the  cliffs  as  we  descend  lower, 
when  we  meet  now  and  then  a  few  miserable 
cottages  so  built  upon  the  declining  of  the  rocks, 
as  one  would  expect  their  sliding  down.  Amongst 
these,  inhabit  a  goodly  sort  of  people,  having 
monstrous  gullets,  or  wens  of  flesh,  growing  to 
their  throats,  some  of  which  I  have  seen  as  big  as 
an  hundred -pound  bag  of  silver  hanging  under 
their  chins ;  among  the  women  especially,  and  that 
so  ponderous,  as  that  to  ease  them,  many  wear 
linen  cloth  bound  about  their  head,  and  coming 
under  the  chin  to  support  it ;  but  quis  tumidum 
guttm^  miratui^  in  Alpibus?^  Their  drinking  so 
much  snow-water,  is  thought  to  be  the  cause  of 
it ;  the  men,  using  more  wine,  are  not  so  strumous 
as  the  women.  The  truth  is,  they  are  a  peculiar 
race  of  people,  and  many  great  water-drinkers  here 
have  not  these  prodigious  tumours ;  it  runs,  as  we 
say,   in  the  blood,   and  is  a  vice  in  the  race,  and 

1  [Juvenal,  Sat.  xiii.  1.  l62.     Cf.  Tempest y  Act  III.  Sc.  iii.] 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  337 


renders  them  so  ugly,  shrivelled  and  deformed,  by 
its  drawing  the  skin  of  the  face  down,  that  nothing 
can  be  more  frightful ;  ^  to  this  add  a  strange  puffing 
dress,  furs,  and  that  barbarous  language,  being  a 
mixture  of  corrupt  High  German,  French,  and 
Italian.  The  people  are  of  great  stature,  extremely 
fierce  and  rude,  yet  very  honest  and  trusty. 

This  night,  through  almost  inaccessible  heights, 
we  came  in  prospect  of  Mons  Sempronius,'^  now 
Mount  Simplon,  which  has  on  its  summit  a  few 
huts  and  a  chapel.  Approaching  this.  Captain 
Wray's  water-spaniel  (a  huge  filthy  cur  that  had 
followed  him  out  of  England)  hunted  a  herd  of 
goats  down  the  rocks  into  a  river  made  by  the 
melting  of  the  snow.  Arrived  at  our  cold  harbour 
(though  the  house  had  a  stove  in  every  room)  and 
supping  on  cheese  and  milk  with  wretched  wine, 
we  went  to  bed  in  cupboards^  so  high  from  the 
floor,  that  we  climbed  them  by  a  ladder ;  we  were 
covered  with  feathers,  that  is,  we  lay  between  two 
ticks  stuffed  with  them,  and  all  little  enough  to 
keep  one  warm.  The  ceilings  of  the  rooms  are 
strangely  low  for  those  tall  people.  The  house  was 
now  (in  September)  half  covered  with  snow,  nor  is 
there  a  tree,  or  a  bush,  growing  within  many 
miles. 

From  this  uncomfortable  place,  we  prepared  to 
hasten  away  the  next  morning ;  but,  as  we  were 

^  [The  pragmatical  "  Peregrine  of  Odcombe "  has  also  his 
paragraph  on  this  theme  : — "  When  I  came  to  Aigubelle,  I  saw 
the  effects  of  the  common  drinking  of  snow-water  in  Savoy.  For 
there  I  saw  many  men  and  women  have  exceeding  great  bunches 
or  swellings  in  their  throates,  such  as  we  call  in  Latin  strumas,  as 
bigge  as  the  fistes  of  a  man,  through  the  drinking  of  snow-water, 
yet  some  of  their  bunches  are  almost  as  great  as  an  ordinary 
foot-ball  with  us  in  England.  These  swellings  are  much  to  be 
scene  amongst  these  Savoyards,  neither  are  all  the  Fiedmontanes 
free  from  them"  (Coiyat,  Crudities,  ed.  1776,  i.  87).] 

2  [Or,  Mons  Scipionis.] 

^  They  have  such  in  Wales. 

VOL.  I  Z 


338  THE  DIARY  OF 


1646 


getting  on  our  mules,  comes  a  huge  young  fellow 
demanding  money  for  a  goat  which  he  affirmed 
that  Captain  Wray's  dog  had  killed  ;  expostulating 
the  matter,  and  impatient  of  staying  in  the  cold, 
we  set  spurs  and  endeavoured  to  ride  away,  when 
a  multitude  of  people  being  by  this  time  gotten 
together  about  us  (for  it  being  Sunday  morning 
and  attending  for  the  priest  to  say  mass),  they 
stopped  our  mules,  beat  us  off  our  saddles,  and, 
disarming  us  of  our  carbines,  drew  us  into  one  of 
the  rooms  of  our  lodging,  and  set  a  guard  upon  us. 
Thus  we  continued  prisoners  till  mass  was  ended, 
and  then  came  half  a  score  grim  Swiss,  who,  taking 
on  them  to  be  magistrates,  sate  down  on  the  table, 
and  condemned  us  to  pay  a  pistole  for  the  goat,  and 
ten  more  for  attempting  to  ride  away,  threatening 
that  if  we  did  not  pay  it  speedily,  they  would  send 
us  to  prison,  and  keep  us  to  a  day  of  public  justice, 
where,  as  they  perhaps  would  have  exaggerated  the 
crime,  for  they  pretended  we  had  primed  our 
carbines  and  would  have  shot  some  of  them  (as 
indeed  the  Captain  was  about  to  do),  we  might 
have  had  our  heads  cut  off*,  as  we  were  told  after- 
wards, for  that  amongst  these  rude  people  a  very 
small  misdemeanour  does  often  meet  that  sentence. 
Though  the  proceedings  appeared  highly  unjust,^ 
on  consultation  among  ourselves  we  thought  it 
safer  to  rid  ourselves  out  of  their  hands,  and  the 
trouble  we  were  brought  into  ;  and  therefore  we 
patiently  laid  down  the  money,  and  with  fierce 
countenances  had  our  mules  and  arms  delivered  to 
us,  and  glad  we  were  to  escape  as  we  did.  This 
was  cold  entertainment,  but  our  journey  after  was 
colder,  the  rest  of  the  way  having  been  (as  they 
told  us)  covered  with  snow  since  the  Creation  ;  no 

^  Surely — says  Bray,  very  justly — these  poor  people  had  the 
right  upon  their  side,  and  this  is  not  expressed  with  Evelyn's 
usual  liberality. 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  339 

man  remembered  it  to  be  without ;  and  because, 
by  the  fre([uent  snowing,  the  tracks  are  continually 
filled  up,  we  passed  by  several  tall  masts  set  up  to 
guide  travellers,  so  as  for  many  miles  they  stand  in 
ken  of  one  another,  like  to  our  beacons.  In  some 
places,  where  there  is  a  cleft  between  two  mountains, 
the  snow  fills  it  up,  whilst  the  bottom,  being  thawed, 
leaves  as  it  were  a  frozen  arch  of  snow,  and  that  so 
hard  as  to  bear  the  greatest  weight ;  for  as  it  snows 
often,  so  it  perpetually  freezes,  of  which  I  was  so 
sensible  that  it  flawed  the  very  skin  of  my  face. 

Beginning  now  to  descend  a  little.  Captain 
Wray's  horse  (that  was  our  sumpter  and  carried  all 
our  baggage)  plunging  through  a  bank  of  loose 
snow,  slid  down  a  frightful  precipice,  which  so 
incensed  the  choleric  cavalier,  his  master,  that  he 
was  sending  a  brace  of  bullets  into  the  poor  beast, 
lest  our  guide  should  recover  him,  and  run  away 
with  his  burden ;  but,  just  as  he  was  lifting  up  his 
carbine,  we  gave  such  a  shout,  and  so  pelted  the 
horse  with  snowballs,  as  with  all  his  might  plunging 
through  the  snow,  he  fell  from  another  steep  place 
into  another  bottom,  near  a  path  we  were  to  pass. 
It  was  yet  a  good  while  ere  we  got  to  him,  but  at 
last  we  recovered  the  place,  and,  easing  him  of  his 
charge,  hauled  him  out  of  the  snow,  where  he  had 
been  certainly  frozen  in,  if  we  had  not  prevented  it, 
before  night.  It  was  as  we  judged  almost  two 
miles  that  he  had  slid  and  fallen,  yet  without  any 
other  harm  than  the  benumbing  of  his  limbs  for 
the  present,  but,  with  lusty  rubbing  and  chafing  he 
began  to  move,  and,  after  a  little  walking,  performed 
his  journey  well  enough.  All  this  way,  affrighted 
with  the  disaster  of  this  horse,  we  trudged  on  foot, 
driving  our  mules  before  us ;  sometimes  we  fell, 
sometimes  we  slid,  through  this  ocean  of  snow, 
which  after  October  is  impassable.  Towards  night, 
we  came  into  a  larger  way,  through  vast  woods  of 
VOL.  I  z  2 


340  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

pines,  which  clothe  the  middle  parts  of  these  rocks. 
Here,  they  were  burning  some  to  make  pitch  and 
rosin,  peeUng  the  knotty  branches,  as  we  do  to 
make  charcoal,  reserving  what  melts  from  them, 
which  hardens  into  pitch.  We  passed  several 
cascades  of  dissolved  snow,  that  had  made  channels 
of  formidable  depth  in  the  crevices  of  the  mountains, 
and  with  such  a  fearful  roaring  as  we  could  hear  it 
for  seven  long  miles.  It  is  from  these  sources  that 
the  Rhone  and  the  Rhine,  which  pass  through  all 
France  and  Germany,  derive  their  originals.  Late 
at  night,  we  got  to  a  town  called  Briga,  at  the  foot 
of  the  Alps,  in  the  Valteline.  Almost  every  door 
had  nailed  on  the  outside  and  next  the  street  a 
bear's,  wolfs,  or  fox's  head,  and  divers  of  them  all 
three ;  a  savage  kind  of  sight,  but,  as  the  Alps  are 
full  of  the  beasts,  the  people  often  kill  them.  The 
next  morning,  we  returned  to  our  guide,  and  took 
fresh  mules,  and  another  to  conduct  us  to  the  Lake 
of  Geneva,  passing  through  as  pleasant  a  country 
as  that  we  had  just  travelled  was  melancholy  and 
troublesome.  A  strange  and  sudden  change  it 
seemed ;  for  the  reverberation  of  the  sunbeams 
from  the  mountains  and  rocks  that  like  walls  range 
it  on  both  sides,  not  above  two  flight-shots  in 
breadth,  for  a  very  great  number  of  miles,  renders 
the  passage  excessively  hot.  Through  such  ex- 
tremes we  continued  our  journey,  that  goodly 
river,  the  Rhone,  gliding  by  us  in  a  narrow  and 
quiet  channel  almost  in  the  middle  of  this  Canton, 
fertilising  the  country  for  grass  and  corn,  which 
grow  here  in  abundance. 

We  arrived  this  night  at  Sion,  a  pretty  town  and 
city,  a  bishop's  seat,  and  the  head  of  Valesia  [Valais]. 
There  is  a  castle,  and  the  bishop  who  resides  in  it 
has  both  civil  and  ecclesiastical  jurisdiction.  Our 
host,  as  the  custom  of  these  Cantons  is,  was  one  of 
the  chiefest  of  the  town,  and  had  been  a  Colonel  in 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  341 

France ;  he  treated  us  with  extreme  civility,  and 
was  so  displeased  at  the  usage  we  received  at 
Mount  Simplon,  that  he  would  needs  give  us  a  letter 
to  the  Governor  of  the  country,  who  resided  at 
St  Maurice,  which  was  in  our  way  to  Geneva,  to 
revenge  the  affront.  This  was  a  true  old  blade, 
and  had  been  a  very  curious  virtuoso,  as  we 
found  by  a  handsome  collection  of  books,  medals, 
pictures,  shells,  and  other  antiquities.  He  showed 
two  heads  and  horns  of  the  true  Capricorn,^  which 
animal  he  told  us  was  frequently  killed  among  the 
mountains ;  one  branch  of  them  was  as  much  as  I 
could  well  lift,  and  near  as  high  as  my  head,  not 
much  unlike  the  greater  sort  of  goat's,  save  that 
they  bent  forwards,  by  help  whereof  they  climb 
up  and  hang  on  inaccessible  rocks,  from  whence 
the  inhabitants  now  and  then  shoot  them.  They 
speak  prodigious  things  of  their  leaping  from  crag 
to  crag,  and  of  their  sure  footing,  notwithstanding 
their  being  cloven-footed,  unapt  (one  would  think) 
to  take  hold  and  walk  so  steadily  on  those  horrible 
ridges  as  they  do.  The  Colonel  would  have  given 
me  one  of  these  beams,  but  the  want  of  a  convenience 
to  carry  it  along  with  me,  caused  me  to  refuse  his 
courtesy.  He  told  me  that  in  the  castle  there  were 
some  Roman  and  Christian  antiquities,  and  he  had 
some  inscriptions  in  his  own  garden.  He  invited 
us  to  his  country-house,  where  he  said  he  had 
better  pictures,  and  other  rarities  ;  but,  our  time 
being  short,  I  could  not  persuade  my  companions 
to  stay  and  visit  the  places  he  would  have  had  us 
see,  nor  the  offer  he  made  to  show  us  the  hunting 
of  the  bear,  wolf,  and  other  wild  beasts.  The  next 
morning,  having  presented  his  daughter,  a  pretty 
well-fashioned  young  woman,  with  a  small  ruby 
ring,  we  parted  somewhat  late  from  our  generous 
host. 

1  Ibex,  or  steinbok. 


842  THE  DIARY  OF  iuq 

Passing  through  the  same  pleasant  valley  be 
tween  the  horrid  mountains  on  either  hand,  like 
a  gallery  many  miles  in  length,  we  got  to  Martigny, 
where  also  we  were  well  entertained.  The  houses 
in  this  country  are  all  built  of  fir  boards,  planed 
within,  low,  and  seldom  above  one  story.  The 
people  very  clownish  and  rusticly  clad,  after  a  very 
odd  fashion,  for  the  most  part  in  blue  cloth,  very 
whole  and  warm,  with  little  variety  of  distinction 
betwixt  the  gentleman  and  common  sort,  by  a  law  of 
their  country  being  exceedingly  frugal.  Add  to  this 
their  great  honesty  and  fidelity,  though  exacting 
enough  for  what  they  part  with,  I  saw  not  one 
beggar.  We  paid  the  value  of  twenty  shillings 
English,  for  a  day's  hire  of  one  horse.  Every  man 
goes  with  a  sword  by  his  side,  the  whole  country 
well  disciplined,  and  indeed  impregnable,  which 
made  the  Romans  have  such  ill  success  against 
them  ;  one  lusty  Swiss  at  their  narrow  passages  is 
sufficient  to  repel  a  legion.  It  is  a  frequent  thing 
here  for  a  young  tradesman,  or  farmer,  to  leave  his 
wife  and  children  for  twelve  or  fifteen  years,  and 
seek  his  fortune  in  the  wars  in  Spain,  France,  Italy, 
or  Germany,  and  then  return  again  to  work.  I 
look  upon  this  country  to  be  the  safest  spot  of  all 
Europe,  neither  envied  nor  envying ;  nor  are 
any  of  them  rich,  nor  poor ;  they  live  in  great 
simplicity  and  tranquillity  ;  and,  though  of  the 
fourteen  Cantons  half  be  Roman  Catholics,  the 
rest  Reformed,  yet  they  mutually  agree,  and 
are  confederate  with  Geneva,  and  are  its  only 
security  against  its  potent  neighbours,  as  they 
themselves  are  from  being  attacked  by  the  greater 
potentates,  by  the  mutual  jealousy  of  their 
neighbours,  as  either  of  them  would  be  over- 
balanced, should  the  Swiss,  Avho  are  wholly  mer- 
cenary and  auxiliaries,  be  subjected  to  France  or 
Spain. 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  343 


We  were  now  arrived  at  St.  Maurice,  a  large 
handsome  town  and  residence  of  the  President, 
where  justice  is  done.  To  him  we  presented  our 
letter  from  Sion,  and  made  known  the  ill-usage  we 
had  received  for  killing  a  wretched  goat,  which  so 
incensed  him,  as  he  sware  if  we  would  stay  he 
would  not  only  help  us  to  our  money  again,  but 
most  severely  punish  the  whole  rabble ;  but  our 
desire  of  revenge  had  by  this  time  subsided,  and 
glad  we  were  to  be  gotten  so  near  France,  which 
we  reckoned  as  good  as  home.  He  courteously 
invited  us  to  dine  with  him ;  but  we  excused  our- 
selves, and,  returning  to  our  inn,  whilst  we  were 
eating  something  before  we  took  horse,  the 
Governor  had  caused  two  pages  to  bring  us  a 
present  of  two  great  vessels  of  covered  plate  full 
of  excellent  wine,  in  which  we  drank  his  health, 
and  rewarded  the  youths ;  they  were  two  vast 
bowls  supported  by  two  Swisses,  handsomely 
wrought  after  the  German  manner.  This  civility 
and  that  of  our  host  at  Sion,  perfectly  reconciled 
us  to  the  highlanders  ;  and  so,  proceeding  on  our 
journey,  we  passed  this  afternoon  through  the  gate 
which  divides  the  Valais  from  the  Duchy  of  Savoy, 
into  which  we  were  now  entering,  and  so,  through 
IMonthey,  we  arrived  that  evening  at  Beveretta. 
Being  extremely  weary  and  complaining  of  my 
head,  and  finding  little  accommodation  in  the 
house,  I  caused  one  of  our  hostess's  daughters  to 
be  removed  out  of  her  bed,^  and  went  immediately 
into  it  whilst  it  was  yet  warm,  being  so  heavy  with 
pain  and  drowsiness  that  I  would  not  stay  to  have 

1  [Evelyn's  action  on  this  occasion  has  sometimes  been  cited 
to  the  prejudice  of  his  philanthropy.  But  it  should  be  borne  in 
mind  that,  besides  being  "  extremely  weary/'  he  was — as  Southey 
suggests — actually  sickening  for  the  small-pox,  although  he  did 
not  know  it ;  and  it  may  be  added  that  when  he  says  "  I  caused," 
he  probably  only  assented  to  a  proposal  made  by  a  compliant 
hostess.] 


344  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

the  sheets  changed  ;  but  I  shortly  after  paid  dearly 
for  my  impatience,  falling  sick  of  the  small-pox 
so  soon  as  I  came  to  Geneva,  for  by  the  smell  of 
frankincense  and  the  tale  the  good  woman  told  me 
of  her  daughter  having  had  an  ague,  I  afterwards 
concluded  she  had  been  newly  recovered  of  the 
small-pox.  Notwithstanding  this,  I  went  with  my 
company,  the  next  day,  hiring  a  bark  to  carry  us 
over  the  lake ;  and  indeed  sick  as  I  was,  the 
weather  was  so  serene  and  bright,  the  water  so 
calm,  and  air  so  temperate,  that  never  had  travellers 
a  sweeter  passage.  Thus,  we  sailed  the  whole 
length  of  the  lake,  about  thirty  miles,  the  countries 
bordering  on  it  (Savoy  and  Berne)  affording  one  of 
the  most  delightful  prospects  in  the  world,  the 
Alps  covered  with  snow,  though  at  a  great  distance, 
yet  showing  their  aspiring  tops.  Through  this 
lake,  the  river  Rhodanus  passes  with  that  velocity 
as  not  to  mingle  with  its  exceeding  deep  waters,^ 
which  are  very  clear,  and  breed  the  most  celebrated 
trout  for  largeness  and  goodness  of  any  in  Europe. 
1  have  ordinarily  seen  one  of  three  feet  in  length 
sold  in  the  market  for  a  small  price,  and  such  we 
had  in  the  lodging  where  we  abode,  which  was 
at  the  White  Cross.  All  this  while,  I  held  up 
tolerably  ;  and  the  next  morning  having  a  letter 
for  Signor  John  Diodati,  the  famous  Italian 
minister  and  translator  of  the  Holy  Bible  into  that 
language,"  I  went  to  his  house,  and  had  a  great 

1  [''  Of  all  the  fables  which  credulity  delights  to  believe  and 
propagate,  this  should  appear  the  most  impossible  to  obtain  credit, 
for  the  Rhone,  when  it  enters  the  lake,  is  both  of  the  colour  and 
consistency  of  pease-soup,  and  it  issues  out  of  it  perfectly  clear, 
and  of  so  deep  a  blue  that  no  traveller  can  ever  have  beheld  it 
without  astonishment  "  (Southey  in  Quarterly  Review,  April,  1818, 
p.  14).] 

2  [Giovanni  Diodati,  1576-164-9.  He  was  the  uncle  of  Charles 
Diodati,  l608-.38,  the  physician,  whose  death  prompted  Milton's 
Epilap/i i u VI  Da mon is.  1 


1646 


JOHN  EVELYN  345 


deal  of  discourse  with  that  learned  person.  He 
told  me  that  he  had  been  in  England,  driven  by 
tempest  into  Deal,  whilst  sailing  for  Holland, 
that  he  had  seen  London,  and  was  exceedingly 
taken  with  the  civilities  he  received.  He  so  much 
approved  of  our  Church-government  by  Bishops, 
that  he  told  me  the  French  Protestants  would 
make  no  scruple  to  submit  to  it  and  all  its  pomp, 
had  they  a  King  of  the  Reformed  religion  as  we 
had.  He  exceedingly  deplored  the  difference  now 
between  his  Majesty  and  the  Parliament.  After 
dinner,  came  one  Monsieur  Saladine,  with  his  httle 
pupil,  the  Earl  of  Caernarvon,^  to  visit  us,  offering 
to  carry  us  to  the  principal  places  of  the  town  ;  but, 
being  now  no  more  able  to  hold  up  my  head,  I  was 
constrained  to  keep  my  chamber,  imagining  that 
my  very  eyes  would  have  dropped  out ;  and  this 
night  1  felt  such  a  stinging  about  me,  that  I  could 
not  sleep.  In  the  morning,  I  was  very  ill,  but 
sending  for  a  doctor,  he  persuaded  me  to  be  let  blood. 
He  was  a  very  learned  old  man,  and,  as  he  said,  he 
had  been  physician  to  Gustavus  the  Great,  King  of 
Sweden,  when  he  passed  this  way  into  Italy,  under 
the  name  of  Monsieur  Gars,  the  initial  letters 
of  Gustavus  Adolphus  Rex  Sueciae,  and  of  our 
famous  Duke  of  Buckingham,  on  his  returning 
out  of  Italy.  He  afterwards  acknowledged  that 
he  should  not  have  bled  me,  had  he  suspected  the 
small-pox,  which  brake  out  a  day  after.  He  after- 
wards purged  me,  and  applied  leeches,  and  God 
knows  what  this  would  have  produced,  if  the  spots 
had  not  appeared,  for  he  was  thinking  of  blooding 
me  again.     They  now  kept  me  warm  in  bed  for 

1  Charles,  third  Baron  Domier,  b.  l632,  succeeded,  in  Sep- 
tember, l643,  as  second  Earl  of  Carnai-von ;  his  father  having 
been  killed  at  the  first  battle  of  Newbury  (20th  Sept.),  where 
he  was  in  anus  for  the  King  as  a  general  of  Horse.  The  second 
Earl  died  on  the  29th  of  September,  1709- 


346  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

sixteen  days,  tended  by  a  vigilant  Swiss  matron, 
whose  monstrous  throat,  when  I  sometimes  awaked 
out  of  unquiet  slumbers,  would  affright  me.  After 
the  pimples  were  come  forth,  which  were  not 
many,  I  had  much  ease  as  to  pain,  but  infinitely 
afflicted  with  heat  and  noisomeness.  By  God's 
mercy,  after  five  weeks'  keeping  my  chamber,  I 
went  abroad.  Monsieur  Saladine  and  his  lady  sent 
me  many  refreshments.  INIonsieur  Le  Chat,  my 
physician,  to  excuse  his  letting  me  blood,  told  me 
it  was  so  burnt  and  vicious  as  it  would  have  proved 
the  plague,  or  spotted  fever,  had  he  proceeded  by 
any  other  method.  On  my  recovering  sufficiently 
to  go  abroad,  I  dined  at  ^lonsieur  Saladine's,  and 
in  the  afternoon  went  across  the  water  on  the  side 
of  the  lake,  and  took  a  lodging  that  stood  exceed- 
ingly pleasant,  about  half  a  mile  from  the  city  for 
the  better  airing;  but  I  stayed  only  one  night, 
having  no  company  there,  save  my  pipe;  so,  the 
next  day,  I  caused  them  to  row  me  about  the 
lake  as  far  as  the  great  stone,  which  they  call 
Neptune's  Rock,  on  which  they  say  sacrifice  was 
anciently  offered  to  him.  Thence  I  landed  at 
certain  cherry  -  gardens  and  pretty  villas  by  the 
side  of  the  lake,  and  exceedingly  pleasant.  Return- 
ing, I  visited  their  conservatories  of  fish  ;  in 
which  were  trouts  of  six  and  seven  feet  long,  as 
they  qffirined. 

The  Rhone,  which  parts  the  city  in  the  midst, 
dips  into  a  cavern  underground,  about  six  miles 
from  it,  and  afterwards  rises  again,  and  runs  its 
open  course,  like  our  Mole,  or  Swallow,^  by 
Dorking,  in  Surrey.  The  next  morning  (being 
Thursday)  I  heard  Dr.  Diodati  preach  in  Italian, 
many   of  that   country,   especially    of  Lucca,   liis 

^  [The  swallows  of  the  Mole  are  hollows  underground  into 
which  that  river  disappears  at  intervals  (Murray's  *SMr;r7/,  1898, 
pp.  93-95).] 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  347 

native  place,  being  inhabitants  of  Geneva,  and  of 
the  Reformed  religion. 

The  town  lying  between  Germany,  France,  and 
Italy,  those  three  tongues  are  familiarly  spoken  by 
the  inhabitants.  It  is  a  strong,  well-fortified  city, 
part  of  it  built  on  a  rising  ground.  The  houses 
are  not  despicable,  but  the  high  pent-houses  (for  I 
can  hardly  call  them  cloisters,  being  all  of  wood), 
through  which  the  people  pass  dry  and  in  the 
shade,  winter  and  summer,  exceedingly  deform  the 
fronts  of  the  buildings.  Here  are  abundance  of 
booksellers  ;  but  their  books  are  of  ill  impressions  ; 
these,  with  watches  (of  which  store  are  made 
here),  crystal,  and  excellent  screwed  guns,  are  the 
staple  commodities.  All  provisions  are  good  and 
cheap. 

The  Town-house  is  fairly  built  of  stone ;  the 
portico  has  four  black  marble  columns ;  and,  on  a 
table  of  the  same,  under  the  city  arms,  a  demi- 
eagle  and  cross,  betw^een  cross-keys,  is  a  motto, 
**  Post  Tenebras  Lux,"  and  this  inscription  : 

Quuin  anno  1535  profligatd  Romana  Anti-Christi  Tyran- 
nide,  abrogatisq;  ejus  superstitionibus,  sacro-sancta  Christi 
Religio  hie  in  suam  puritatem,  Ecclesia  in  meliorem  ordinem 
singulari  Dei  beneficio  reposita,  et  simul  pulsis  fugatisq; 
hostibus,  urbs  ipsa  in  suam  Libertatem,  non  sine  insigni 
miraculo,  restituta  fuerit ;  Senatus  Populusq;  Genevensis 
Monumentum  hoc  perpetuae  memoriae  causa,  fieri  atque  hoc 
loco  erigi  curavit,  quod  suam  erga  Deum  gratitudinem  ad 
posteros  testatum  fuerit. 

The  territories  about  the  town  are  not  so  large 
as  many  ordinary  gentlemen  have  about  their 
country  farms,  for  which  cause  they  are  in  continual 
watch,  especially  on  the  Savoy  side ;  but,  in  case 
of  any  siege  the  Swiss  are  at  hand,  as  this  in- 
scription in  the  same  place  shows,  towards  the 
street : 


348  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

D.O.M.S. 

Anno  a  vera  Religione  divinitus  cum  veteri  Libertate 
Genevae  restituta,  et  quasi  novo  Jubiloeo  ineunte,  plurimis 
vitatis  domi  et  foris  insidiis  et  superatis  tempestatibus,  et 
cum  Helvetiorum  Primari  Tigurini  aequo  jure  in  societatem 
perpetuam  nobiscum  venerint,  et  veteres  fidissimi  socii 
Bernenses  prius  vinculum  novo  adstrinxerint,  S.P.Q.G.  quod 
felix  esse  velit  D.O.M.  tanti  benificii  monumentum  conse- 
crarunt,  anno  temporis  ultimi  cco.id.xxxiv. 

In  the  Senate-house,  were  fourteen  ancient 
urns,  dug  up  as  they  were  removing  earth  in  the 
fortifications. 

A  Httle  out  of  the  town  is  a  spacious  field, 
which  they  call  Campus  Martins ;  and  well  it  may 
be  so  termed,  with  better  reason  than  that  at 
Rome  at  present  (which  is  no  more  a  field,  but  all 
built  into  streets),  for  here  on  every  Sunday,  after 
the  evening  devotions,  this  precise  people  permit 
their  youth  to  exercise  arms,  and  shoot  in  guns, 
and  in  the  long  and  cross  bows,  in  which  they  are 
exceedingly  expert,  reputed  to  be  as  dexterous  as 
any  people  in  the  world.  To  encourage  this,  they 
yearly  elect  him  who  has  won  most  prizes  at  the 
mark,  to  be  their  king,  as  the  king  of  the  long-bow, 
gun,  or  cross-bow.  He  then  wears  that  weapon  in 
his  hat  in  gold,  with  a  crown  over  it,  made  fast  to 
the  hat  like  a  brooch.  In  this  field,  is  a  long  house 
wherein  their  arms  and  furniture  are  kept  in  several 
places  very  neatly.  To  this  joins  a  hall,  where,  at 
certain  times,  they  meet  and  feast ;  in  the  glass- 
windows  are  the  arms  and  names  of  their  kings  [of 
arms].  At  the  side  of  the  field,  is  a  very  noble 
Pail-Mall,  but  it  turns  with  an  elbow.  There  is 
also  a  bowling-place,  a  tavern,  and  a  trey-table, 
and  here  they  ride  their  managed  horses.  It  is 
also  the  usual  place  of  public  execution  of  those 
who  suffer  for  any  capital  crime,  though  committed 
in  another  country,  by  which  law  divers  fugitives 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  349 

have  been  put  to  death,  who  have  fled  hither  to 
escape  punishment  in  their  own  country.  Amongst 
other  severe  punishments  here,  adultery  is  death. 
Having  seen  this  field,  and  played  a  game  at  mall, 
I  supped  with  Mr.  Saladine. 

On  Sunday,  I  heard  Dr.  Diodati  preach  in 
French,  and  after  the  French  mode,  in  a  gown 
with  a  cape,  and  his  hat  on.  The  Church  Govern- 
ment is  severely  Presbyterian,  after  the  discipline 
of  Calvin  and  Beza,  who  set  it  up,  but  nothing  so 
rigid  as  either  our  Scots  or  English  sectaries  of 
that  denomination.  In  the  afternoon,  Monsieur 
Morice,  a  most  learned  young  person  and  excellent 
poet,  chief  Professor  of  the  University,  preached 
at  St.  Peter's,  a  spacious  Gothic  fabric.  This  was 
heretofore  a  cathedral  and  a  reverend  pile.  It  has 
four  turrets,  on  one  of  which  stands  a  continual 
sentinel ;  in  another,  cannons  are  mounted.  The 
church  is  very  decent  within  ;  nor  have  they  at  all 
defaced  the  painted  windows,  which  are  full  of 
pictures  of  saints ;  nor  the  stalls,  which  are  all 
carved  with  the  history  of  our  Blessed  Saviour. 

In  the  afternoon,  I  went  to  see  the  young 
townsmen  exercise  in  Mars'  Field,  where  the 
prizes  were  pewter -plates  and  dishes;  'tis  said 
that  some  have  gained  competent  estates  by  what 
they  have  thus  won.  Here  I  first  saw  huge 
ballistce,  or  cross-bows,  shot  in,  being  such  as  they 
formerly  used  in  wars,  before  great  guns  were 
known ;  they  were  placed  in  frames,  and  had  great 
screws  to  bend  them,  doing  execution  at  an  in- 
credible distance.  They  were  most  accurate  at 
the  long-bow  and  musket,  rarely  missing  the 
smallest  mark.  I  was  as  busy  with  the  carbine  I 
brought  from  Brescia  as  any  of  them.  After 
every  shot,  I  found  them  go  into  a  long  house, 
and  cleanse  their  guns,  before  they  charged  again. 

On  Monday,   I  was  invited  to  a  little  garden 


350  THE  DIARY  OF  i646 

without  the  works,  where  were  many  rare  tulips, 
anemones,  and  other  choice  flowers.  The  Rhone, 
running  athwart  the  town  out  of  the  Lake,  makes 
half  the  city  a  suburb,  which,  in  imitation  of  Paris, 
they  call  St.  Germain's  Faubourg,  and  it  has 
a  church  of  the  same  name.  On  two  wooden 
bridges  that  cross  the  river  are  several  water-mills, 
and  shops  of  trades,  especially  smiths  and  cutlers  ; 
between  the  bridges  is  an  island,  in  the  midst  of 
which  is  a  very  ancient  tower,  said  to  have  been 
built  by  Julius  Caesar.  At  the  end  of  the  other 
bridge  is  the  mint,  and  a  fair  sun-dial. 

Passing  again  by  the  Town-house,  I  saw  a  large 
crocodile  hanging  in  chains  ;  and  against  the  wall 
of  one  of  the  chambers,  seven  judges  were  painted 
without  hands,  except  one  in  the  middle,  who  has 
but  one  hand  ;  I  know  not  the  story.  The  Arsenal 
is  at  the  end  of  this  building,  well  furnished  and 
kept. 

After  dinner,  Mr.  Morice  led  us  to  the  college, 
a  fair  structure ;  in  the  lower  part  are  the  schools, 
which  consist  of  nine  classes  ;  and  a  hall  above, 
where  the  students  assemble  ;  also  a  good  library. 
They  showed  us  a  very  ancient  Bible,  of  about  300 
years  old,  in  the  vulgar  French,  and  a  MS.  in  the 
old  Monkish  character  :  here  have  the  Professors 
their  lodgings.  I  also  went  to  the  Hospital,  which 
is  very  commodious ;  but  the  Bishop  s  Palace  is 
now  a  prison. 

This  town  is  not  much  celebrated  for  beautiful 
women,  for,  even  at  this  distance  from  the  Alps, 
the  gentlewomen  have  something  full  throats  ;  but 
our  Captain  Wray  (afterwards  Sir  William,  eldest 
son  of  that  Sir  Christopher,  who  had  both  been  in 
arms  against  his  Majesty  for  the  Parliament)  fell 
so  mightily  in  love  with  one  of  Monsieur  Saladine's 
daughters  that,  with  much  persuasion,  he  could 
not  be  prevailed  on  to  think  on  his  journey  into 


1646  JOHN  EVELYN  351 

France,    the    season    now    coming    on    extremely 
hot. 

My  sickness  and  abode  here  cost  me  forty-five 
pistoles  of  gold  to  my  host,  and  five  to  my  honest 
doctor,  who  for  six  weeks'  attendance  and  the 
apothecary  thought  it  so  generous  a  reward  that, 
at  my  taking  leave,  he  presented  me  with  his 
advice  for  the  regimen  of  my  health,  written  with 
his  own  hand  in  Latin.  This  regimen  I  much 
observed,  and  I  bless  God  passed  the  journey 
without  inconvenience  from  sickness,  but  it  was 
an  extraordinarily  hot  unpleasant  season  and 
journey,  by  reason  of  the  craggy  ways. 

5tli  July,  We  took,  or  rather  purchased,  a 
boat,  for  it  could  not  be  brought  back  against  the 
stream  of  the  Rhone.  We  were  two  days  going 
to  Lyons,  passing  many  admirable  prospects  of 
rocks  and  cliffs,  and  near  the  town  down  a  very 
steep  declivity  of  water  for  a  full  mile.  From 
Lyons,  we  proceeded  the  next  morning,  taking 
horse  to  Koanne,  and  lay  that  night  at  Feurs.  At 
Roanne,  we  indulged  ourselves  with  the  best  that 
all  France  affords,  for  here  the  provisions  are 
choice  and  plentiful,  so  as  the  supper  we  had  might 
have  satisfied  a  prince.  We  lay  in  damask  beds, 
and  were  treated  like  emperors.  The  town  is  one 
of  the  neatest  built  in  all  France,  on  the  brink  of 
the  Loire ;  and  here  we  agreed  with  an  old  fisher 
to  row  us  as  far  as  Orleans.  The  first  night,  we 
came  as  far  as  Nevers,  early  enough  to  see  the 
town,  the  Cathedral  (St.  Cyr),  the  Jesuits' 
College,  and  the  Castle,  a  Palace  of  the  Duke's, 
with  the  bridge  to  it  nobly  built. 

The  next  day,  we  passed  by  La  Charite,  a  pretty 
town,  somewhat  distant  from  the  river.  Here  I 
lost  my  faithful  spaniel  (Piccioli),  who  had  followed 
me  from  Rome.  It  seems  he  had  been  taken  up 
by   some   of  the   Governor's   pages,    or   footmen. 


352         DIARY  OF  JOHN  EVELYN 


1646 


without  recovery ;  which  was  a  great  displeasure 
to  me,  because  the  cur  had  many  useful  qualities. 

The  next  day,  we  arrived  at  Orleans,  taking  our 
turns  to  row,  of  which  I  reckon  my  share  came  to 
little  less  that  twenty  leagues.  Sometimes,  we 
footed  it  through  pleasant  fields  and  meadows; 
sometimes,  we  shot  at  fowls,  and  other  birds ; 
nothing  came  amiss :  sometimes,  we  played  at 
cards,  whilst  others  sung,  or  were  composing 
verses ;  for  we  had  the  great  poet,  Mr.  Waller,^  in 
our  company,  and  some  other  ingenious  persons. 

At  Orleans,  we  abode  but  one  day ;  the  next, 
leaving  our  mad  Captain  behind  us,  I  arrived  at 
Paris,  rejoiced  that,  after  so  many  disasters  and 
accidents  in  a  tedious  peregrination,  I  was  gotten 
so  near  home,  and  here  I  resolved  to  rest  myself 
before  I  went  farther. 

It  was  now  October,  and  the  only  time  in  my 
whole  life  that  I  spent  most  idly,  tempted  from 
my  more  profitable  recesses;^  but  I  soon  recovered 
my  better  resolutions  and  fell  to  my  study,  learning 
the  high  Dutch  and  Spanish  tongues,  and  now  and 
then  refreshing  my  dancing,  and  such  exercises  as 
I  had  long  omitted,  and  which  are  not  in  much 
reputation  amongst  the  sober  Italians. 

1  [See  ante,  p.  317.]  -  [Retirements.] 


APPENDIX    I 

LETTER  OF  GEORGE  EVELYN  TO  HIS  FATHER 

The  following  Letter  from  George  Evelyn,  elder  brother  of 
Evelyn,  written  when  at  College,  to  his  father  Richard  at 
Wotton,  26  Sept.  1636,  and  giving  an  account  of  the  Visit 
made  by  the  King  and  Queen  to  the  University  of  Oxford, 
with  some  particulars  respecting  himself,  contains  some 
curious  matter : — 

"  I  know  you  have  long  desired  to  hear  of  my  welfare,  and 
the  total  series  of  his  Majesty's  entertainment  whilst  he  was 
fixed  in  the  centre  of  our  Academy. 

"  The  Archbishop  our  Lord  Chancellor  [Laud]  and  many 
Bishops,  Doctor  Bayley  our  Vice-Chancellor,  with  the  rest  of 
the  Doctors  of  the  University,  together  with  the  Mayor  of 
the  City,  and  his  brethren,  rode  out  in  state  to  meet  his 
Majesty,  the  Bishops  in  their  pontifical  robes,  the  Doctors 
in  their  scarlet  gowns  and  their  black  caps  (being  the  habit 
of  the  University),  the  Mayor  and  Aldermen  in  their  scarlet 
gowns,  and  sixty  other  townsmen  ail  in  black  satin  doublets 
and  in  old-fashioned  jackets.  At  the  appropinquation  of 
the  King,  after  the  beadles'  staves  were  delivered  up  to  his 
Majesty  in  token  that  they  yielded  up  all  their  authority  to 
him,  the  Vice-Chancellor  spoke  a  speech  to  the  King,  and 
presented  him  with  a  Bible  in  the  University's  behalf,  the 
Queen  with  Camden's  Britannia  in  English,  and  the  Prince 
Elect  (as  I  took  it)  with  Croke's  Politics ;  all  of  them  with 
gloves  (because  Oxford  is  famous  for  gloves).^  A  little  nigher 
the  City  where  the  City  bounds  are  terminated,  the  Mayor 
presented  his  Majesty  with  a  large  gilt  cup,  et  tenet  vivini- 
tatem  opinio,  the  Recorder  of  the  City  made  a  speech  to  his 

^  Gloves  always  made  part  of  a  present  from  Corporate  Bodies  at 
that  time,  more  or  less  ornamented  witli  ricli  fringes  according-  to  the 
quality  of  the  persons  to  whom  they  were  offered. 

353 


354  APPENDIX    I 

Majesty.  In  the  entrance  of  the  University,  at  St.  John's 
College,  he  was  detained  with  another  speech  made  by  a 
Fellow  of  the  house.  The  speech  being  ended,  he  went  to 
Christ-church,  scholars  standing  on  both  sides  of  the  street, 
according  to  their  degrees,  and  in  their  formalities,  clamantes, 
Vivat  Rex  nosier  Carolus !  Being  entered  Christ-church,  he 
had  another  speech  made  by  the  University  orator,  and 
student  of  the  same  house  :  the  subject  of  all  which  speeches 
being  this,  expressing  their  joy  and  his  welcome  to  the 
University.  Then,  retiring  himself  a  little,  he  went  to 
prayers ;  they  being  ended,  soon  after  to  supper,  and  then  to 
the  play,  whose  subject  was  the  Calming  of  the  Passions ; 
but  it  was  generally  misliked  of  the  Court,  because  it  was  so 
grave  ;  but  especially  because  they  understood  it  not.  This 
was  the  first  day's  entertainment. 

"  The  next  morning,  he  had  a  sermon  in  Christ-church, 
preached  by  Browne,  the  Proctor  of  the  University,  and  a 
student  of  the  house.  The  sermon  being  ended,  the  Prince 
Elect  and  Prince  Rupert  went  to  St.  Mary's,  where  there 
was  a  congregation,  and  Prince  Rupert  created  Master  of 
Arts,  also  many  nobles  with  him.  The  reason  why  the 
Prince  Elect  was  not  created  Master  of  Arts,  was  because 
Cambridge  our  sister  had  created  him  before.  The  congre- 
gation done,  the  King,  Queen,  and  all  the  nobles  went  to  the 
Schools  (the  glory  of  Christendom),  where  in  the  public 
Library,  his  Majesty  heard  another  speech,  spoken  by  my 
Lord  Chamberlain's  third  son,  and  of  Exeter  College,  which 
speech  the  King  liked  well.  From  the  schools  the  King 
went  to  St.  John's  to  dinner,  where  the  Archbishop  enter- 
tained his  Majesty  with  a  magnificent  dinner  and  costly 
banquet  [dessert].  Then  with  a  play  made  by  the  same 
house.  The  play  being  ended,  he  went  to  Christ-church ; 
and,  after  supper,  to  another  play,  called  the  Royal  Slave,^ 
all  the  actors  performing  in  a  Persian  habit,  which  play 
much  delighted  his  Majesty  and  all  the  nobles,  commending 
it  for  the  best  that  ever  was  acted. 

"  The  next  morning,  he  departed  from  the  University,  all 
the  Doctors  kissing  his  hand,  his  Majesty  expressing  his 
kingly  love  to  the  University,  and  his  countenance  denion- 

^  By  William  Cartwriglit,  lGll-43,  a  student  of  that  college.  In 
this  play  one  of  his  fellow-students  (afterwards  the  famous  Dr.  Bushy) 
performed  a  part  (tliat  of  Cratander)  so  excellently  well,  and  with  so 
much  applause,  that  he  is  said  to  have  narrowly  escaped  the  temptation 
of  at  once  hecominj?-  an  actor  on  the  public  stage. 


APPENDIX    I  355 

strating  unto  us,  that  he  was  well  pleased  with  this  his  enter- 
tainment made  by  us  scholars. 

"  After  the  King's  de})arture,  there  was  a  congregation 
called,  where  many  Doctors,  some  Masters  of  Art,  and  a  few 
Bachelors  were  created,  they  procuring  it  by  making  friends 
to  the  Palsgrave.  There  were  very  few  that  went  out  that  are 
now  resident,  most  of  them  were  lords  and  gentlemen.  A 
Doctor  of  Divinity  and  Bachelor  of  Arts  were  created  of  our 
house  [Trinity],  but  they  made  special  friends  to  get  it. 

"  With  the  d^30  you  sent  me  I  have  furnished  me  with 
those  necessaries  I  wanted,  and  have  made  me  two  suits,  one 
of  them  being  a  black  satin  doublet  and  black  cloth  breeches, 
the  other  a  white  satin  doublet  and  scarlet  hose ;  the  scarlet 
hose  I  shall  wear  but  little  here,  but  it  will  be  comely  for  me 
to  wear  in  the  country. 

"  Your  desire  was  that  I  should  be  as  frugal  in  my  expenses 
as  I  could,  and  I  assure  you,  honoured  Sir,  I  have  been ;  I 
have  spent  none  of  it  in  riot  or  toys.  You  hoped  it  would 
be  sufficient  to  furnish  me  and  discharge  my  battels  for  this 
quarter ;  but  I  fear  it  will  not,  therefore  I  humbly  entreat 
you  to  send  me  £6.  I  know  what  I  have  already,  and  with 
this  I  send  for,  will  be  more  than  enough  to  discharge  these 
months ;  but  I  know  not  what  occasion  may  fall  out. 

"Trin.  Coll.  Oxon.,  26  July,  1636." 


END    OF   VOL.    I 


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F^ 


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JAN 


i^  M  ^^^^ 


C>A       Evelyn,  John 
^7         The  diary 
E9A^ 
1906 

V.I 


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